What has white spots and strips when it is first born? The Brazilian or South America tapir. It is indigenous to most of the rain forested areas of South America. It is a dark brown and has a low erect mane coming down the back of the neck. The Brazilian Tapir can have length of 2 meters, and a tail length of 5-8 cm. It stands somewhere between 77 to 108 cm at the shoulder. The Brazilian Tapir can be found near water in the Amazon Rainforest and River Basin in South America, west of the Andes. It stretches form Venezuela, Colombia, and Guianas in the north to Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, in the south, to Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador in the west.

 

The Brazilian Tapir is an herbivore. This means that it eats only plants. Using its mobile snout, this tapir feeds on leaves, buds, shoots, and small branches from trees, fruit, types of grasses, and also aquatic plants. The natural diet of the tapir consists of forest fruits and vegetation. These tapir families feed three times a day on a selection of seasonal fruits and vegetables like pony nuts and hay. Their favorite foods are bananas, apples, garlic and onions.

 

This is an excellent species for land and water. In the wild, the main predators of the Brazilian Tapir are crocodilians. This class has crocodiles and alligators in it. Crocodiles make up most of the class. The other predators are large cats such as, the Jaguar and cougar which often attack the Brazilian Tapir for a nightly snack. The Brazilian Tapir looks like a pig but it is actually related to the rhinoceros, horse, and zebra families. Brazilian Tapirs move very quickly in the open or even in the jungle habitat and live from sea level to about 15,000 feet in the Brazilian rainforests.

 

Did you also know that the Brazilian Tapir can stretch its nose within a foot in diameter without moving its head? Pretty cool huh!

 

Author: Rogan R

Published: 02/2007

 

Sources:

www.mbgnet.net/sets/rfrest/animals/tapir.htm www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapirus_terrestris www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/345.htm www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/lowland/ www.lintonzoo.com/factsheets/Animls/tapir www.tqjunior.advanced.org/4052

 

Photo Credit: Photo by Whaldener Endo Year: 2006 Description: Brazilian Tapir (Tapirus terrestris)