Pedro Martyr at the beginning of the 16th century described the tapir as follows: "the size of a bull, with an elephant's trunk and with the hooves of a horse." In fact, this animal in appearance is an amazing mixture: at the same time it looks like a pig, a pony or a rhinoceros with a trunk similar to that of an elephant, although shorter. In this article, we will talk in more detail about this interesting animal, which inspires tenderness in many.
Habitats
Tapir is a genus of large mammals belonging to the order of equids, allocated to the tapir family. In the language of a Brazilian tribe, the name of these animals means "thick", which directly refers to their skin.
The tapir is an animal that lives in Southeast Asia and Latin America. There, animals inhabit bushes and swampy forests along the banks of lakes and rivers. Modern species are the remnants of a once vast group whose range extended to the Northern Hemisphere as a whole. In America, these wild equids are the only ones.
Appearance
Over the past 30 million years, the appearance of the tapir has not changed much. Today, the lowland tapir is very similar to its ancient ancestors. In some ways it resembles a horse, something like a rhinoceros. In a tapir, on the hind (three-toed) and front (four-toed) legs, the hooves are almost horse-like (they even look like microscopic details). There are also calluses on the legs located below the elbow joint, which are similar to horse chestnuts. The American tapir has a small mane around its neck. The upper lip, which is more mobile than that of a horse, is extended into a proboscis. Animals are born in the outfit in which, apparently, the ancestors of various animals walked: intermittent light stripes stretch from tail to head along the dark background of their skin. The legs are painted in the same way.
Tapirs are densely built animals with a stocky body, which is covered with thick, short, usually black or brown hair. The height of the male at the withers is on average 1.2 m, length - 1.8 m, while the total weight is up to 275 kg. The muzzle, including the nose of the tapir and the upper lip, is extended into a small mobile proboscis, which is used to pick off young shoots or leaves. The eyes are small, rounded ears stick out to the sides. The legs are short, the hind legs are three-toed, the front ones are four-toed, while the axis of the limb in both cases passes through the 3rd finger, which takes on the main load. Each toe ends in a small hoof. The tail is short, as if chopped off.
This is a fairly powerful animal, in honor of which he receivedthe name of the new ZIL "Tapir". By the way, the car received a rather elongated muzzle, resembling the appearance of an animal.
Food
Tapir is an animal that feeds on the leaves of forest shrubs and aquatic plants. Tapirs dive well, swim, can stay under water for a very long time, and in case of danger they always look for salvation in it.
The black-backed tapir is a nocturnal, secretive animal that prefers to hide in dense rainforests. There are seasonal migrations - during the dry season they are found in the lowlands, while in the rainy season they are also found in mountainous areas. For example, in Sumatra, animals were observed at altitudes up to 1500 m in the mountains. Also, migrations can be associated with deteriorating forage conditions and forest fires; tapirs in Thailand in the dry season move from deciduous to evergreen forests. Increasingly, they began to meet on the edges, clearings and plantations.
Reproduction
Mating tapirs occur all year round. Pregnancy lasts about 400 days, mostly 1 cub is born, but twins also occur. At the same time, in American animals, babies are distinguished by the presence of white spots and longitudinal stripes on dark brown skin. At the age of 6 months, this pattern begins to disappear, in the same year the color becomes completely adult - monochromatic. Tapirs live approximately 30 years.
It should be clarified that in America there are 3 species of this genus, and in Asia there is only one. The number of tapirseverywhere has been greatly reduced due to the clearing of forests for land and the hunting of animals. All species are protected and, except for the flat species, are included in the Red Book.
Plain tapir
This is a brownish-black species with white spots located on the chest, neck and throat. This species inhabits the forests of South America. Plain tapirs are mainly nocturnal. During the daytime, they retire to the thickets, but at night they go out in search of food. These animals are good at diving and swimming. In general, they are very wary and shy, at the slightest threat they flee or try to hide in the water.
Plain tapirs, if necessary, defend themselves with the help of teeth, biting the attacker. If two individuals meet, then their behavior towards each other, as a rule, is aggressive. They mark their ranges with urine, and various shrill sounds resembling a whistle are used to communicate with relatives. They feed only on plants, preferring their softest parts. In addition to leaves, they consume buds, algae, fruits and branches. Tapir enemies include crocodiles, jaguars and cougars.
Mountain tapir
This is the smallest representative of the genus. The mountain tapir is an animal found in the forests of Colombia and Ecuador. It differs from the plains by its blackish thick coat and the absence of a mane. This view in 1824–1827. during the research of the Colombian Andes, the French scientists Jean Baptiste Bussengo and Desiree Roulin described. They arenoted that this strange animal has long hair, like a bear.
Mountain tapirs are loners, active at night, which during the day retire to the thickets of forests. They are excellent rock climbers who also know how to dive and swim, in addition, they are very willing to dig in the mud. But it should be noted that these are very timid animals, in case of a threat they often hide under water. These tapirs are also herbivores. They feed on branches, leaves and other plant parts.
Black-backed tapir
The black-backed tapir can be seen in the southeastern part of Asia, more precisely, in Thailand, in the southeastern region of Burma, on the Malay Peninsula, in addition, on neighboring islands. Its front part of the body, as well as the hind legs, are brownish-black in color, and the middle (from the shoulders to the base of the tail) is creamy white, as if covered with a saddlecloth (clothing). This is a vivid example of the so-called protective "dissected" coloration, which perfectly disguises the animal on moonlit nights in the jungle, when the entire plant world is a black and white solid pattern.
The black-backed tapir also dives and swims well, but it even mates in the water, and when completely submerged, it can roam the bottom of the lakes. He constantly falls out in the mud, thereby getting rid of parasitic insects and mites.
Central American tapir
This is a large beast of a blackish-brown uniform color. He meets onterritory from Mexico to Panama. It is very similar in appearance to its relatives from South America, although it differs from them in the details of the structure.
The Central American tapir has a height at the withers of 120 cm, and a weight of 300 kg, a body length of 200 cm. With such indicators, it is considered not only the largest tapir in the New World, it is also the largest wild mammal in the American tropics. It is similar in appearance to the plains tapir, while, in addition to being larger, it has a shorter mane at the back of the head.
