Tapir of Khao Sok
This image was captured by a wildlife camera trap set up by patrol officers at Khao Sok National Park. The camera captured a tapir near a water source and food area for wildlife in the region.
What animal has a face like a pig, feet like a rhino, a nose like an elephant’s trunk, and a short tail like a bear?
An animal with such a unique appearance can only be the ‘tapir.’
The tapir, or Malayan tapir, scientifically known as Tapirus indicus, is a large herbivorous mammal. It typically measures about 2 meters in length, stands 1 meter tall at the shoulder, and weighs between 150-300 kilograms. Its short coat ranges in color from brown to nearly black, except for the Malayan tapir, which has a distinctive white band around its midsection, and the mountain tapir, which has a longer coat. All tapir species have oval-shaped ears with rounded tips and a white edge, a drooping, plump rear, and a short, thick tail. The front legs have four toes, and the back legs have three, allowing them to walk on mud or soft ground. Baby tapirs have striped or spotted fur for camouflage. Females have a single pair of teats.
Tapirs are solitary or pair-living animals that forage in dense, moist forests, often near water sources. They use their long, trunk-like noses to help smell and grasp leaves from bushes for food, and they can eat certain toxic plants. Tapirs enjoy wallowing in water or mud, are nocturnal, and have poor eyesight, relying on their trunk to smell their way around. Newborn tapirs are born with stripes resembling watermelon patterns, much like wild boar piglets.
Thanks to the information from: Sueb Nakhasathien Foundation and Thai Wildlife Database website.