Tapirus indicus
Malayan Tapir
Malayan tapirs have a large stocky body with a prominent proboscis. Body Length: 185-240 cm / 6-8 ft. Shoulder Height: 90-105 cm / 3-3.5 ft. Tail Length: 5-10 cm / 2-4 in. Weight: 250-320 kg / 550-704 lb.
The body colouration is unmistakable: the front part of the body (ending just after front legs) and hind legs are black, while the back has a saddle of grizzled white or grey. While this colouration seems conspicuous, it renders the tapir nearly invisible in the moonlit jungle at night. Young animals are completely different from their mature relatives, resembling brown watermelons with whitish stripes and spots on a chocolate brown coat. They lose this baby coat 4-7 months after birth. The thick hide is sparsely covered with hair, and there is no mane or ridge on the neck. The body is round and barrel-shaped, the tail is no more than a stump. The nose and upper lip are extended to form a short, prehensile proboscis. The eyes are small and beady, and the ears are rimmed with white.
The forefeet have four digits, each of which ends in a hoof. The fourth toe does not touch the ground, so footprints show the imprints of three digits. Hind feet have three digits.
Foraging is often done on a repeated foraging route, often with their nose to the ground. Often tapirs forage in a zig-zag fashion. The fleshy proboscis is commonly used as a finger to grab almost out-of-reach leaves and grasses and pull them into the mouth.
Malaysian tapirs are nocturnal and solitary, with the exception of mother-offspring pairs. When they encounter one another in the wild, tapirs are aggressive. They communicate with whistling sounds and scent-marking urine. Tapirs are shy and crash off into the bush when humans are around, but will bite if cornered. They are also good runners, and hill climbers. Although, unlike rhino, tapir do not wallow in mud baths, they are fond of water and are excellent swimmers; the animals will often take to rivers or lakes if pursued.
They cover large distances in their search for food, making frequent stops to eat. Regularly used paths are used in these foraging excursions, and several may lead to bodies of water. Each animal occupies a large territory which overlaps that of its neighbours. These paths and territories are marked with urine, which is sprayed on small bushes and plants. When moving, the Malayan tapir walks slowly with its head down, which probably allows it to pick up the scents of other tapirs. Individuals
also communicate with shrill whistles. If cornered, the thick, hard skin on its neck helps to protect it from a predator’s sharp fangs. Tapirs also have strong jaws and large teeth that can inflict a serious bite.
Gender differences:
Males weigh 660-740 pounds (270-333 kg), females 760-900 pounds (342-405 kg)
Habitat:
Tapirus indicus is found in Southeast Asia in the following countries: southern Burma, Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra. Found in tropical lowland and highland rainforest where there is a permanent supply of water, they tend to shelter in forests and thickets during the daytime, but come out at night to forage on grasslands or near water. They inhabit forests from close to sea-level to above 2000m but appears to prefer lowland and lowland hill forest (300-1000m). They are undisturbed by even very steep terrain.
Diet:
The Malayan tapir is a vegetarian non-ruminant and browses on wide range of vegetation, taking young leaves, shoots, some twigs, also wild gingers and fallen fruit, particularly durian and are an important disperser of seeds. They will also take bark of some trees. Salt is well liked by tapirs, which will go out of their way to find it.
Reproduction:
Mating, which occurs in April and May, is characterized by a heated courtship ritual. When sexually excited, tapirs make wheezing and whistling sounds, and attempt to sniff each other's genital regions, often resulting in their going round in circles. They may bite at one anothers ears, feet, and flanks. After a gestation period of 390-395 days (13 months), one young is born. Twins are rare. At birth, young weigh up to 10 kg, which is the heaviest of any tapir species. When born, tapirs have a spotted and striped coat rather in contrast to the dramatic black and white pattern seen in the adults. These stripes begin to fade after about two months and they are weaned at 6 – 8 months.
Females have offspring every other year. Sexual maturity is reached at about three years of age, and the lifespan is thought to be about 30 years.
Other:
Four species of tapir exist on the planet today. All are closely related, although the Asian tapir lives in Southeast Asia, while the other three live in the Americas. The Baird's tapir lives in Mexico and Central America, and has been found in the northernmost areas of Colombia; the lowland (often called Brazilian) tapir lives in the rain forests of South America; and the mountain tapir lives in the high cloud forests and paramos of the northern Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. The tapirs are related to the primitive horse and to the rhinoceros.
Main Predators : Tiger and leopards probably take young or sick animals. Man, directly (animals caught in snares) and indirectly (habitat loss).
Malayan tapirs are classified as endangered by the IUCN and USDI. They are on Appendix 1 of CITES. Habitat destruction and overhunting are the two main factors contributing to their endangered status. Habitat destruction has mainly been a result of
agriculture and and increase in cattle grazing.
Although the Tapir is hunted, particularly when found damaging crops, it is largely safe from this threat in Malaysia and Sumatra as a result of religious beliefs. Muslims regard pig flesh as unfit for consumption and, although it is actually more closely related to horses and rhinos, the local people regard the Tapir as a kind of pig.
Tapirus is a Latinized corruption of tapyra - the Tupi name for the tapir (the Tupis are an aboriginal tribe from the Amazon). Indicus (Latin) of India: this name is misleading as this ungulate does not live in India, and was probably meant to refer to the East Indies (Malay Peninsula ).
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