I'm not good enough with tapir taxonomy to know if this is of the mountain or lowland (Brazilian) variety. The photographer identifies it as both a mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) and a Tapirus terrestris (lowland tapir). Both species hail from South America. The northern Andes are home to the mountain tapir, and the Amazon basin and its surroundings are home to the lowland tapir. Though they have pig-shaped bodies, their closest relatives (aside from the Baird and Malay tapirs) are the odd-toed ungulates (think horses and rhinoceroses). They are large animals (upwards of 7 ft, 700 lbs), famous for their adorable babies and their prehensile snouts. But, in the end, it is the snout that most serves the purposes of this blog.
I hope this gives you your tapir tongue fix, Sumreen.
Photo source: Just chaos
Can I get a hell yeah?
ReplyDeleteThis is a mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque). When you've seen enough of them, they look distinctive. They are hairier than the other species, and they have a characteristic lighter brown on the face with the identifying wide white patch around the lips. The end of the nose tends to be dark rather than having a whitish streak across the top like the Baird's tapir. Mountain tapirs live in the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, and there may be only about 2500 left in the world. That's a very small number. I actually don't think they're ugly, but anything to get some attention for these guys!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information, tapirgirl. That's what this blog is all about--giving 'ugly' its day in the sun. Baby tapirs get lots of love. Adults not so much.
ReplyDeleteWOO HOO!!! Tapirs (love 'em as much as bats!)!!
ReplyDeleteI like them, especially since the Malayan Tapir since I have been able to look at one closely in a zoo. They have these big, slightly sad-looking brown eyes which combined with their odd snout, are a strange mix between adorable and ugly. Yet, tongue-wise, I think the Okapi, ousin of the giraffe is still my favorite in the department of acrobatic moves.
ReplyDeleteSee fot yourselves,
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=qhc67wopg40
tee hee! tapir baby! awesome. they kind of remind me of anteaters. Same family? I'd imagine, with the prehensile noses.
ReplyDeleteShay: not even close :) Tapirs are most closely related to rhinos and horses.
ReplyDelete