The animal was a local legend among the people living in a protected area of southeastern Brazil's Atlantic rain forest. They reported sightings of a pure-white tapir, a piglike animal that's usually dark brown, roaming the area.
Such tales piqued the interest of National Geographic contributing photographer Luciano Candisani, who wanted to capture the ghostly beast on film. (Also see "New Tapir Discovered—One of Biggest Mammals Found This Century.")
So, in May 2014, Candisani traveled to one of the odd tapir's reported hangouts in the Votorantim Reserve and waited for the nocturnal animal under the cover of darkness. Many tapirs came by, but no white ones. Undeterred, the photographer set up a camera trap, which takes a picture whenever something passes in front of it.
"My heart skipped a beat when, while reviewing the photos from one night, the white tapir suddenly appeared in one of the frames," says Candisani.