Black-backed tapir. Black-backed or Malayan tapir (lat.

The tapir is a herbivore that belongs to the order of equids. All tapirs are combined into one genus, in which there are 4 species. This animal is very ancient and lives on Earth for about 60 million years. Previously, it was widespread throughout the planet, but today it lives only in South America and southeastern regions Asia. At the same time, the number of populations is very low and is under the threat of extinction.

This is the most large view of all tapirs and the only one living in Asia. It lives on the island of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Individual representatives of the species are found in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. Even 150 years ago, this animal was common in Indochina, and now lives only in separate areas isolated from each other.

This animal has a large light gray spot (saddle cap) on its back and sides. That's where the name came from. The rest of the body is black except for the tips of the ears, which are the same light gray color as the saddle. This color camouflages the animal well. From afar, it can be mistaken for a large stone. The coat is short and the skin is thick and rough. It is thickest on the neck and head and serves as protection against the teeth of predatory animals.

The physique is massive, the legs are strong. The snout ends in a small flexible trunk. It represents the upper lip and nose fused together. The tail is short and reaches a length of 7-10 cm, on the front legs 4 toes, on the hind legs 3 toes. The black-backed tapir has very poor eyesight, but it has well-developed hearing and sense of smell. In terms of size, females are somewhat larger than males. The body length ranges from 1.8 to 2.5 meters. The height at the withers is 90-110 cm. The body weight is 270-320 kg. Individual individuals weighing up to 500 kg come across.

Pregnancy lasts 390 days. 1 cub is born weighing about 7 kg. His fur is chestnut and diluted with light spots and stripes. It acquires adult color at 7 months of age. Milk feeding lasts 8 months. Sexual maturity occurs at the age of 3 years. The black-backed tapir lives in wild nature about 30 years old. It feeds on plant foods and can cause some damage to crops, which causes human discontent.

Plains or South American tapir

The plain tapir lives in tropical forests Amazon east of the Andes. The habitat ranges from Venezuela and Colombia to Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. In the west, the animal lives in Peru and Ecuador. Fur color is dark brown. The belly and legs are lighter than the sides and back. The tips of the ears are trimmed gray fur. Cheprak is missing. It is the prerogative of only the Asian species, and the Americans are deprived of it.

In length, the animal reaches 1.8-2.5 meters. The height at the withers is 80-110 cm. The average body weight is 230 kg. The maximum weight reaches 330 kg. There is a small mane in the back of the head. The physique is muscular, the legs are strong and strong. There are 4 fingers on the front legs, 3 on the hind legs. Representatives of this species swim and dive perfectly. Life expectancy is 25 years. Long-livers live up to 30 years.

This tapir has a lot of enemies. Chief among them are the black caiman, puma, jaguar and anaconda. In case of danger, animals immediately run to the water to escape from the teeth of large predatory cats. But with crocodiles and anacondas it is more difficult. They hunt well in the water. Therefore, poor mammals live between 2 fires.

plains tapir leads a solitary life. However, this is inherent in all representatives of the genus. The animal marks its territory with urine and does not let alien brethren into it. The diet consists of plant foods. In addition to branches and fruits, algae are also eaten. Pregnancy lasts 390 days. One cub weighing up to 7 kg is born. Milk feeding lasts 8 months. Sexual maturity occurs at 3-4 years.

The mountain tapir is native to the Andes. It lives in Colombia, northern regions Peru and Ecuador. It is a resident of mountain forests and plateaus. The life of the animal takes place at an altitude of 2 thousand meters to 4.5 thousand meters above sea level. The habitat extends to perpetual glaciers. Among the snows this species does not live.

The coat is black or dark brown. Quite often, it is diluted with blond hair interspersed with black wool. In the abdomen area, the fur is lighter, the same is observed on the cheeks. The lips are framed with a white stripe. The same stripes are on the tips of the ears. This animal, given the habitat, has a long and fluffy coat. The length of the body reaches 1.8 meters. The height at the withers is 75-100 cm. The weight ranges from 150 to 220 kg. Females are on average 10% heavier than males. It has a flexible proboscis and tail. The number of toes is similar to other species.

The diet consists of leaves, branches and fruits of plants. Pregnancy lasts 390 days, one baby weighing about 6 kg is born. Milk feeding lasts 5 months. Sexual maturity occurs at 3 years of age. Life expectancy in captivity is 27 years. How many mountain tapirs live in the wild is unknown.

Baird's Tapir (Central American)

This species lives in Central America and captures a small area of ​​South America. It can be found both in the south of Mexico and in the north of Colombia with Ecuador. The animal is named after the American zoologist Spencer Byrd. Prefers a solitary lifestyle, like relatives. Lives in dense thickets. Swims and dives great. In case of danger hides in the water. Eats plant food.

Baird's tapir has a short mane at the back of his head. Fur is dark brown. Cream-colored spots are observed on the cheeks and neck. The body is muscular, the tail is short, there is a small trunk, the number of toes is the same as in other species. The body length reaches an average of 2 meters. The height at the withers is 120 cm. Body weight ranges from 250 to 320 kg. Individuals weighing up to 400 kg come across. This species is the most powerful among American counterparts.

Pregnancy lasts 390 days. There is usually one baby per litter. The color of his skin is reddish-brown with light spots and stripes. At 7 months of age, the animal acquires an adult color. Already at the age of 3 weeks, the newborn swims perfectly. Milk feeding lasts 10 months. Sexual maturity occurs at 3-4 years. life expectancy is 30 years. Some individuals even live up to 32 years. The point here is that Baird's tapir is a very cautious animal. It is very difficult to detect both for a person and beasts of prey. Despite this, the number of the species is very low and amounts to only about 5 thousand individuals. Here comes the ruthless cutting rainforest and reduction natural environment a habitat.

Tapirs live in Central America, South America and Southeast Asia. They belong to the order equids.

There are 4 species left in them: Mountain tapir, Plains tapir, Central American tapir - they all live in America, and Black-backed tapir, which lives in Asia.

Color from dark brown to dark brown and even black is inherent American species. The black-backed color is more elegant, on the back and sides and belly of the animal there is a single large white spot.

The tips of the ears are painted with a thin white stripe. The skin is thick, durable with short hairs.Everyone has a heavy body on short slender legs, elongated head and very short tail. On the muzzle are small eyes that are hard to see.

The ears are rounded and short, all hear well. The muzzle ends with a mobile small proboscis, at the end of which there is a patch. It has many sensitive whiskers (vibrissae) around it. The animal's sense of smell is excellent.

Body length from 1.7 to 2.3 meters, height at the withers from 1.8 to 2.2 m, weight from 150 to 320 kg. There are three toes on the hind legs, four on the front, and small hooves on all toes.

They eat plant foods - leaves, herbs, fruits and berries. Being in the water, they feed their body with algae. They are good at swimming, diving, running fast and jumping briskly.

They prefer night or twilight time of activity. They easily stand on their hind legs to get juicy foliage from the trees, using their animal ingenuity, they overcome barriers from fallen trees. He either crawls under the trunk, or jumps over it.

He has many enemies - this, and. Sensing trouble, the tapir flees, or hides in the water. If there is no way out, then it defends itself using its teeth. Man also contributed, hunting him for tasty meat.

In the mating season, males seek out females, calling them with a sharp whistle or cough. But the black-backed females, unlike the American ones, at the right time are looking for a partner themselves.

After a short joint walks of the couple, pregnancy occurs, which lasts about 13 months. One strong newborn is born, weighing from 5 to 10 kg (depending on the type of animal).

Tapirs are large herbivores, outwardly somewhat reminiscent of our pigs. They are easily recognizable by their small, flexible proboscis at the end of their muzzle, or by the bright spotted coloration of their young.

On the this moment in the genus of tapirs, 4 species are distinguished, the largest of which is the black-backed (Malay) tapir. It is also known for its distinctive black and white coloration.

Motherland black-backed tapir is Southeast Asia. They are found on the territory of Thailand, in its central and southern regions, on about. Sumatra, Myanmar and Malaysia.
Dark green areas - present-day habitat of the scooped tapir

Outwardly, tapirs really do look like pigs, but no offense will be said to them :). They grow up to 2-2.4 meters in length and 1 meter in height. But not always large individuals are males. Most often in tapirs, on the contrary, females are larger than males. Their body weight fluctuates around 250-320 kilograms.

The color scheme of the Malayan tapir does not shine with brightness and variety. It is easily distinguished by its black and white or black and gray color. The animal itself is entirely painted black, and only on the back and sides is a huge light spot of white or light gray color - saddlecloth (hence the specific name of this animal). Well, on the tips of the ears you can also notice a light border.

If you think about it, it would be more convenient for this animal to have a dark color all over the body, so that it would be difficult to recognize it in the dark. But the big white spot is not given for decoration at all. Thanks to him, it is difficult for nocturnal predators to identify prey by outlines.

As another adaptation to protect against predators, nature endowed tapirs with very thick skin (up to 2.5 centimeters) on the head and around the neck.


Tapirs are famous for their strong sense of smell and excellent hearing, but they were absolutely unlucky with their eyesight. Firstly, they have small eyes, and secondly, this type of tapir is more likely than others to have clouding or corneal defects. Why it is so hard to say exactly.

These animals prefer to lead a secretive lifestyle, so the main activity is most often shown in the evening and at night. They like to hide in dense undergrowth and prefer to stay close to bodies of water and streams. Well, they love water, what's strange here? AT hot weather even enjoy swimming.

These are quite aggressive animals, but, despite their difficult nature, they prefer to stay in pairs. People are not attacked first, only in cases of self-defense. Communication with each other occurs with the help of whistles and shrill cries.

Most of the diet of the black-backed tapir is young foliage and shoots. They are followed by fruits, grass and mosses. They do not have permanent pastures, so the animals feed on the place where they are at the moment.

AT mating season they also behave a little "non-standard". This non-standard lies in the fact that the female, and not the male, starts the search for a pair. Then there is an acquaintance, accompanied by whistling sounds, circling around each other and biting on the sides and ears.

Pregnancy lasts a very long time - a year and 1-2 months, after which the female gives birth to only 1 cub. Tapir cubs are easily recognizable by their bright spotted coloration, which disappears by 4-7 months, changing to a dark color with a saddle.
Black-backed tapir baby

They develop quickly and by 6-8 months they already become independent, but they reach sexual maturity only by 2.8-3.5 years. Although this is not so long term given that their life expectancy is about 30 years.

As for their population status, the prospects are bleak. Every year the number of these animals is inexorably reduced. The reason is not new - deforestation - their natural habitat. Another reason is the capture and illegal trade of these animals.

Now the black-backed tapir is listed in the International Red Book under the status of "vulnerable species".

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The plain tapir Tapirus terrestris is a mammal of the order of equids of the tapir family.

Russian name - Plain tapir
English name- South American tapir
Latin name - Tapirus terrestris
Order - odd-toed ungulates (Perissodactyla)
Family - tapirs (Tapiridae)

The status of the species in nature

Listed in the IUCN Red List as a Vulnerable and Threatened Species.

View and person

The rarity of these animals is explained by the fact that tapirs are hunted for their meat and skin. In addition, due to deforestation, the original habitats of tapirs are being destroyed. As a result, tapirs in search of food can enter sugarcane or cocoa plantations adjacent to the forest. Such visits usually end with the tapir being killed.

Plains tapirs are often kept in zoos. They are easily tamed.

Distribution and habitats

Plain tapirs are found in South America, east of the Andes. They live in dense thickets of tropical forests. They prefer to stay near water bodies, as they willingly swim and dive, and even escape from danger in the water.

Appearance

At first glance, the tapir looks like a wild boar, but only at first glance. The body of the tapir is stocky, muscular. There are 4 toes on the front legs, 3 on the hind legs. Each toe ends in a small hoof. On the neck of the plain tapir there is almost a horse's mane, the chir distinguishes it from the rest of the genus.

The upper lip, together with an elongated nose, forms a small, but very mobile proboscis, ending in a snout; with this proboscis, tapirs can pick off leaves. Small eyes are located on the sides of the head. The coat color is dark all over the body, only the edges of the ears are decorated with a white "edging". Cubs are born dark with intermittent white stripes all over the body. Gradually, the camouflage coloration disappears, and by the age of one year, young tapirs become an “adult” color.

Tapir is a large animal: body weight varies from 150 to 270 kg, females are much heavier than males. The height at the shoulders is up to 108 cm, and the body length is up to 220 cm. With such a massive body, the tail is small, only 8 cm long.

Lifestyle and social behavior

Tapirs are shy and cautious animals, active at night. During the day they hide in dense thickets, at night they come out to feed. These animals are great swimmers and divers, so they prefer to stay near water bodies where dangers are saved. Having dived, the tapir can remain under water for some time. Tapirs are solitary animals, and if they meet with relatives, they behave very aggressively towards each other, everyone tries to scare away and drive away the enemy. Natural enemies include cougars, jaguars and crocodilians.

Feeding and feeding behavior

Tapirs feed on a variety of plants, preferring the softest parts of them. In addition to leaves, tapirs eat buds, fruits, eat and aquatic plants. They can dive to get aquatic plants. And if the “tidbit” hangs high, the tapir stands up with its back legs, leaning on the tree with its front legs, and tries to pick the desired fruit with its movable proboscis.

Vocalization

When communicating with relatives, tapirs make piercing, whistling-like sounds.

Reproduction and rearing of offspring

Tapirs reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years of age. They breed all year round, not adhering to a certain season. Pregnancy lasts up to 412 days (more than a year!), after which one cub is born. Very rarely, twins appear. A newborn baby is covered with dark wool, stripes of white. The stripes on its skin are discontinuous, discontinuous. A newborn baby weighs 4-7 kg. For the first days of life, the baby sits in a shelter, but after only a week, it begins to accompany the mother when she goes to feed. After six months, the female stops feeding the cub with milk, and the ion passes on plant food. By this time, his camouflage striped coloring disappears. A young tapir reaches its adult size by one and a half years. It can participate in reproduction at the age of 3-4 years.

Lifespan

In nature, tapirs live up to 30 years, in zoos their life expectancy is longer.

Animal in the Moscow Zoo

Our female tapir, born in 1986, came to us from the Berlin Zoo in 2005. Tapirs are herbivorous animals, therefore, in the zoo, they receive boiled potatoes and carrots, lettuce, various fruits, herculean porridge with peas, to which vitamins and mineral top dressing are added, as well as special compound feed.

Since the female is no longer young, she is, as they say, with character. Any new event or change in the usual routine of life is regarded with suspicion. For example, the arrival of locksmiths or electricians can knock her out of the rut for half a day, and the need to move to the next cage where the giraffe is usually kept during cleaning becomes a serious problem. Of course, when working with animals, special techniques are needed that, on the one hand, facilitate the work with them, and on the other hand, help the animal cope with the inevitable and invariably pleasant events. To do this, the stapler regularly conducts special classes, during which the animal “gets” the keeper for a delicacy, performing simple, but necessary actions for care. For example, an animal has been taught that in order to get a grape, it needs to touch its nose to a special target object. The target is a plastic skittle. Thanks to such training, the keeper of half a bowl of grapes can lead the animal to the enclosure, start an adjacent cage, and even transfer it across the road from the winter enclosure to the summer one and back. Previously, this procedure cost everyone a lot of strength, nerves and time.

Advanced age also requires serious attention to the health of the animal: veterinary examination, weight monitoring, hoof control and, if necessary, treatment. In order for the tapir to allow him to carry out all these manipulations, and most importantly, so that they do not cause him stress, special training is also carried out.

As a result of the training, the tapir became calmer about all these procedures, and his life became more active and saturated.

An unusual tapir animal (you will see a photo, description and lifestyle in the article) combines the structure and color of several animals at once, and today “Me and the World” will tell about this ancient inhabitant of the planet.

Ancient inhabitant of the planet

Who is this, or could it be? This is an artiodactyl animal, a detachment of animals and the tapir family, resembling in color, but in structure a wild boar. But instead of a snout, a proboscis grows on the muzzle. And this boar-panda-elephant is called a tapir.

The length of his body can reach two meters or more, but usually it is less by 20-25 cm, and it grows about 1 meter in height. Average weight- 270-300 kg.

Because of the trunk, it seems that the muzzle is too elongated. With such a nose, the tapir reaches out to the delicacy, it can lengthen, and then retract back. At its tip there are hairs that serve as an organ of touch. Hearing is also well developed, but small eyes see quite poorly. On pretty developed jaw very sharp teeth.

The color of each species is different, and there are only five of them. Four live in America, and one in Asia is the Black-backed Tapir, whose skin is colored and resembles a panda.

Living environment and habits

They live in dense areas, where it is very difficult to meet them - they hide in the most remote places and are very afraid of people. They prefer to be constantly near water bodies, because water for them is both a habitat, and bathing, and protection from predators. Thanks to the ability to stay at the bottom for a long time, only when they sense the enemy, they rush into the water with a run and go along the bottom to the very bottom. deep place. For some time, tapirs are at the bottom, having had a snack on the plants of the reservoir at one time.

They love to swim very much, and after taking a mud bath, you definitely need to rinse in warm water. Each tapir bypasses its territory along their own trodden paths, and if they meet a relative, then everything can end in a brawl. Although it usually ends with "sound" negotiations, because they know how to talk to each other.

At night, they like to make forays into agricultural fields, eat sweet corn or something else. For this, the farmers brutally shoot them. Tapirs are also killed because of the very tasty and soft meat.

During the breeding season, from the moment of courtship to birth, about a year passes, since pregnancy lasts almost 400 days. Only one cub weighing up to 8 kg is born. The coloration resembles boar babies: the same white stripes on a gray background. They grow quickly and reach the size of an adult animal in six months, and soon they leave their mother in " adulthood».

plains tapir

Short stature and medium weight, dark brown color. A stiff, upright mane grows between the ears and along the neck. It lives on the mainland in South America, where it flows. What does the inhabitant of the plains eat? These are mostly leaves of trees and shrubs, aquatic plants, fruits and fruits, which it reaches with its trunk. If he cannot reach something, he stands on his hind legs, and with his front legs rests on the trunk.

Inhabitant of the center of America

Central American - the largest of the American tapirs, reaches a height of 120 cm, and weighs up to 300 kg. The mane is very small, and the color is gray with a light spot in front of the neck. In terms of lifestyle, it is similar to the plains, but is listed in the Red Book as an endangered species.

mountain dweller

The mountain is the smallest, its length does not exceed 180 cm, weight is 230-240 kg, and the height at the withers is only 70-80 cm. The coat is dark brown, almost black, unlike other animals, soft, wavy, thick. Lives in the Andes, rising to a height of up to 4000 km. The lifestyle is unknown, because it can be found very rarely, therefore it is listed in the Red Book as very rare.

Asian look

It is also called Indian. Black-backed is the largest of all American and reaches a weight of just over 300 kg and a body length of more than 250 cm. With a long, strong trunk, powerful, strong legs. The middle of the body is grayish-white (saddle cap), the rest of the body is black. It seems that such a color is bright, but on a sunny day, the black-backed tapir is difficult to notice. They live in the tropics of Sumatra, in southern Thailand and Burma. The lifestyle is the same as other species.

Tapirs do well in captivity. For example, in the Moscow Zoo, this beast perfectly coexists with wildebeest and giraffes.

Video

Now you know what an unusual and ancient animal looks like - Tapir. It is a pity that every year their number is reduced. And the main reason is extermination for the sake of meat. Now it is important to preserve these animals that survived even the Ice Age.