Details
Tapirus indicus
The Malayan tapir is a black-and-white tapir of Southeast Asian forests. It feeds at night on leaves and fruit and often keeps close to water.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It inhabits tropical forest in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Myanmar, and Thailand. Lowland forest, damp valleys, and riverine woodland provide cover and travel routes.
Length 180-250 cm; weight 250-320 kg. A black front and hindquarters contrast with a white body saddle, and the short flexible snout pulls food within reach.
Nocturnal and solitary, it follows forest trails through dense cover. It may bathe or swim to cool down and reduce parasites.
A herbivore, it eats leaves, shoots, fruit, and aquatic plants. The mobile snout draws branches down while it browses the understory and forest floor.
Females usually give birth to one calf. Young have stripes and spots for camouflage before the adult black-and-white pattern develops.
It is listed as Endangered. Forest loss, fragmentation, and vehicle collisions are major pressures, making connected forest important.
