Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about tapirs. These strange looking animals look kind of like a pig and an anteater had a baby, but tapirs are most closely related to horses and rhinos. There are four accepted species of tapir; a fifth species has been proposed but it’s classification is currently still debated.

Three tapir species live in Central and South America while the fourth species is found in Asia. That… might seem a little strange. How did such a big animal basically end up on the other side of the world? What did it swim - well, no, but we’ll come back to that point. Tapir ancestors have been around for millions of years. There’s evidence to suggest that tapirs have at one point or another lived on all the continents - sans Antarctica - and those living today are the remaining lineages - one just happens to be in Asia while the rest are in another part of the world! In those millions of years, tapirs haven’t changed much in how they look and are often described as the most prehistoric looking mammals alive today. A pretty cool title, though potentially a backhanded compliment?

Tapirs have managed to survive for a long time, but currently they’re all considered threatened by extinction. Not only are they hunted for meat they face pressures in the form of habitat loss. They are also taken by natural predators such as cougars, jaguars, leopards, tigers, crocodiles, and more, but they do a pretty good job of avoiding being eaten by these animals. A tapir’s neck is thick and can protect against a bite. If they are bitten on the neck, a tapir may even slam a predator against a tree to try and dislodge it! Tapirs may look like lumbering giants, but they’re quick on their toes, and their bodies are designed for moving through the forest. Tapirs come in a teardrop shape with a big ol’ booty and a tapered front end. Hmm… tapir… taper - actually tapir can be pronounced either way!

These animals also come with camouflage, especially the babies. A baby tapir sort of looks like a brown watermelon with legs. Their markings help them blend in with a sun dappled forest. Tapir babies are born one at a time. In some species, the female tapir raises her baby alone, in others, such as the Asia tapir, the male may take part in raising the child.

As tropical animals, tapirs enjoy a breeding season that can occur year round, but they may mate more frequently in the wet season which would ensure their baby is born in the following wet season when food is most abundant. Ahh, yes, that does mean that tapir gestation takes more than a year. The baby tapir will keep its stripes for about six months at which point it will stop nursing, but it will remain with its mother for at least a few more months, usually until another baby is born and starts taking all of mom’s attention.

Tapirs are often described as solitary but females generally have at least one baby traveling with them, and sometimes tapirs will share a range - though they generally don’t eat together. Tapirs eat with their prehensile snoots and consume leaves, fresh sprouts, fruits, and more! They’re more active during the night because they’re not good at releasing heat and thus avoid the hottest parts of the day. They will, however, lay in water to cool off. In fact, tapirs require a source of water in their habitats!

Tapirs are excellent swimmers and will even head to water to run from predators using their trunks like a snorkel. Their love of water includes meals because they’ll also eat aquatic vegetation. On average, tapirs weigh 500 pounds (226.8 kilograms) and stand three feet (0.9 meters) tall at the shoulders. Some Pokemon aficionados may recognize tapirs as the inspiration for Drowsie, the dream eating pokemon who is also based on the chimeric Japanese baku - the creature who eats nightmares.

World Tapir Day is on April 27th, so be sure to mark your calendars to join in celebrating these awesome animals! For more facts on tapirs check out the links in the description. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.

This episode was requested by our friends over at the Midnight Mariana podcast. If you’re interested in horror stories, we recommend checking them out! You may even hear a few familiar voices while you’re there. Mwahahahahaha!