Range:
Mexico, Central America, South America, and Southeast Asia’s Malaya and Sumatra
Habitat:
Swamps, forests, savanna, and rain forests
Odds and ends make a magnificent beast
Zoo visitors often ask, "What is it? A pig? An anteater?" No, it's a tapir, a primitive animal that has remained unchanged for millions of years. The four tapir species are most closely related to horses and rhinos, since they have an odd number of toes (four toes on each front foot, three on each back foot). Their eyes and ears are small, and the body is teardrop shaped: tapered in the front and wider at the rear, designed to walk through thick vegetation. Male tapirs are slightly smaller than females.
Hide What a nose!
The tapir's nose and upper lip combine into a flexible snout like an elephant's trunk. It can be used as a snorkel when the animal is underwater and as an effective tool to detect odors wafting through the dense forest. This prehensile mini-trunk (by elephant standards!) is used to grab branches and strip off the leaves or to help pluck fruit and put it directly in the tapir’s mouth. It also adds an air of mystery to the tapir—at first glance, it’s hard to tell just what this creature is!
- See more at: http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/tapir?qt-animals_page_content_tabs=0#qt-animals_page_content_tabs