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Remarks:
There
are 4 species of tapirs; 3 of them live in Central and South
America while the 4th species (above) lives in Southeast Asia.
The Central and South American tapirs are the Brazilian, Baird's
and Mountain tapirs. The Malayan tapir was believed to have
crossed over to Asia during the prehistoric period when Asia
was joined to the Americas and it became stranded when the
continents later broke away.
Adaptations:
The
physical characteristics of the tapir is suited for living
among thick vegetation. These include agility, speed over
short distances and a sturdy, compact, streamlined body. With
its narrow head and broad rump, the tapir is perfectly designed
to escape predators by dashing into thick undergrowth at high
speed, just like wild boars. Tapirs can leap into action and
gallop about like a horse too! Living in the forests where
visibility is poor, tapirs have poor eyesight and can only
spot moving objects but their sense of hearing and smell are
very acute.
Tapirs
eat mainly leaves and they have rather primitive teeth compared
to those of horses. Tapirs have a short but moblie extended
upper lip that works like an elephant's trunk. This mini trunk
(17cm long) is used to probe its surroundings and pull down
branches to strip off leaves.
Despite
their clumsy appearance, tapirs can also dive into waters
to feed on aquatic plants. They are excellent swimmers and
will often cross wide, swift-flowing rivers. They frequently
dip themselves in water to cool down and to get rid of skin
parasites. If they are attacked by predators like tigers and
leopards (southeast Asia) or jaguars (in South America), they
can retreat into water and can stay submerged for several
minutes at a time, walking on the river bed like a hippopotamus!
......Cool !!
Conservation/status
Threatened
by rapid habitat destruction by man and where the shrinking
forests are replaced by plantations, tapirs often raid and
damage crops, hence making them pests to farmers with predictable
results......Bang !!
YAMAHA
Animal Guide - Malayan
Tapir
Note:
The ripat has since changed its name to 'tapir' to hide its
real identity and to establish ties with its overseas tapir
relatives. It is now an elusive nocturnal animal that is always
wary of its surroundings. Did you guess it correctly?
If
you have the time and chance, hop on the tram
after duty and take a look at the Malayan Tapirs that
are currently residing at the West Loop of Night Safari.
NS has 2 sets of Malayan tapirs that are rotated on alternate
nights.
The
first set consists of a mother and her 7-mth old young (believed
to be born in Feb/March 2002). At this age, the young is half
its mother's size and can eat leaves. (dated Sept 2002)
The
other group has 3 adults, sex ratio is unknown. The segregation
was done to protect the young tapir until it is old enough
to be introduced to the adult group.
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