Zorrilla not a cross between a zebra and a gorilla, unfortunately

Much to the dismay of those hoping to see a giant striped horse-like primate, the zorrilla, which appeared on Late Night with David Letterman last night, looks nothing like a cross between a zebra and a gorilla.

Instead, it is some sort of weasel.

Still, it's pretty interesting, although not nearly as interesting as a zebra-gorilla hybrid would have been. Like those two creatures that we were hoping to have seen melded in a fit of scientific hubris into a simian-equine abomination, the zorrilla, a nocturnal carnivore that resembles a skunk, is native to Africa.

Zookeeper Jack Hanna told Letterman that the zorrilla, also known as a striped polecat, is the smelliest animal in the world. Like the skunk, it sprays a mixture of sulfurous compounds from glands on its backside. While this may not be as threatening as the sound of a low snarling whinny accompanied by the hooves beating against a chest, is probably sufficient in deterring predators, in its own way.

Have a look at this video:

The animal also looks nothing like a cross between zooplankton and a chinchilla, nor an azalea and an armadillo, nor Zorro and Godzilla. That last one would have been pretty awesome, too.