The Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), also called the Asian Tapir, is the largest of the five species of tapir and the only one native to Asia.

Status: Endangered

Habitat

In the past, Malayan tapirs could be found throughout tropical lowland rain forests of Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia,Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. However, their population decreased over the years to the state whereby Tapirs are currently classified by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as an endangered species. Less than 2500 mature Malayan Tapirs still remains in the wild and the remaining tapirs can be found in the Peninsular of Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Sumatra in central and southern parts.

Appearance

Some special features of the Malayan Tapirs include a large white patch in the middle part of their body contrasted with a black head and hind quarters. Similar to horses and rhinos, they have hooves on their feet. They are the largest of the tapir species, weighing in at around 350 kg (720 pounds) and growing 1.8 meters long (6 feet). Females are usually larger than males.

Source: YOUTUBE

Characteristic 

Tapirs are herbivorous and their diet includes up to 115 species of plants, with it mainly being tender shoots, leaves, grasses, fruits and nuts. Tapirs have very poor vision and so to make up for this shortcoming, they rely on their exceptional sense of smell and hearing. Additionally, Tapirs are good swimmers. Tapirs are also classified as crepuscular animals, which are generally more active during nighttime and tend to hunt in the time period beginning from after sunset until before sunrise.

The lifespan of the Malayan tapir can reach up to 30 years regardless of it being either in the wild or in captivity. Due to their large size Tapirs enjoys the prestige of having little to no natural predators. Furthermore, they have many characteristics that allows them to improve their survival rate. To hide from predators, they have the capability to dive in water for several minutes at a time, run at top speeds of 48 km/hour despite their large size as well as having strong jaws accompanied with sharp teeth.

Malayan tapirs are generally solitary creatures and they mark out large tracts of land as their territory by spraying urine on plants. They communicate using high pitch squeaks and whistles. When threatened, they snort and stamp their feet.

So, after learning about the basic knowledge of Malayan Tapirs, are you curious about what are some of the main causes to Tapirs being in an endangered status? Well, let’s move on to see what are the threats affecting the population of Malayan Tapirs!