Facts About Tapirs

• Georgia Nicholson, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2017

Hello weird animal lovers today I am going to tell you about the weird animal the tapir!

Did you know that their are four species of tapir the mountain tapir, lowland tapir, baird’s tapir and the Malayan tapir. Tapirs also have four toed hooves and a group of tapirs are called a candle. These animals are endangered because of habitat loss and poaching, it is rare to ever get close to a tapir in the wild because they are shy and can camouflage good. When they are born to when they are six months old they have beautiful stripes and then when their are adults they can still have one stripe across there belly and back. Tapirs are related to horses and rhinoceroses as well. The Malayan tapir weighs 250kg which is very heavy. A baby tapir is called a calf just like a cow they are very cute and extremely shy. They can also be dangerous in fact in 1998 at the Oklahoma city zoo a tapir bit off a zookeepers arm because she had a young tapir in her enclosure, got angry and did what she did. Tapirs are also very good swimmers so you better watch out if you like swimming because you might get a fright! So if you ever meet a tapir don't get to close because they are protective of their calfs but you are very lucky if you get ever get to see a tapir in the wild. I hope this inspired you to save animals.