Zviera
Malayan tapir
Black-and-white colouring and a short trunk distinguish this resident of wet Asian forests.
Jazyk obsahu
Against the Malayan tapir's dark body, its pale middle looks like a broad covering. This contrasting pattern breaks up the animal's outline, making its whole shape harder for a predator to recognise. The Malayan tapir is the Asian member of the tapir family, while the other species live in the Americas. It inhabits the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, favouring wet forests with dense undergrowth and marshy ground.
Its short, mobile trunk combines the nose and upper lip. The tapir uses it to grasp plants. It eats leaves, fruit and aquatic vegetation, feeding mainly at dusk and during the night. It relies chiefly on smell and hearing, as its eyesight is poorer. Its life is secretive and usually solitary.
The front feet have four toes and the hind feet three. Despite this arrangement, tapirs belong to the odd-toed ungulates, like horses. A heavy body does not prevent good swimming and diving; water can also provide refuge. The chief problem is the loss of forests to settlements, roads and plantations. As habitat breaks into isolated fragments, connections between wild populations become increasingly difficult to maintain.
Pre deti
A Malayan tapir looks as though someone has laid a pale cover across its back. Its front and hind legs are dark, while the middle of its body is light. This pattern makes its shape harder for a predator to recognise.
The tapir's short trunk combines its nose and upper lip. It helps grasp plants. Tapirs eat leaves, fruit and water plants. They usually search for food at dusk and at night, using their good sense of smell and hearing.
Their home is in wet Asian forests, including those on Sumatra. They swim and dive well. The front feet have four toes and the back feet three. Clearing forests for roads and plantations removes shelter and food. To live safely, a tapir needs forest where it can hide and move freely.
Otázka 1 z 2
On which continent does the Malayan tapir live in the wild?
- Poloha
- Enclosure marked with the animal’s name within the zoo