One Funny Looking Animal!

One Funny Looking Animal!

We went looking for one funny looking animal of the rainforest. Tapirs, with their long snouts look like they might be related to Ellie, but in reality they are related to Edmond! Neat! Today, we are meeting the largest of the tapir family.

Baird’s Tapir Fun Facts: 

• These large tapirs can grow up to 8 ft long and weigh over 800 lbs.
• Their funny looking feet have four toes on the front and three on the back.
• Tapirs use their long flexible noses for snorkels, sniffing odors in the forest and for finding food.
• These nocturnal herbivores look for leaves and fruits during the evening hours.
• They are excellent swimmers. They head to the water when threatened.
• Once thought to be solitary, it is now believed they live in small family groups.
• The young stay with their mothers for up to two years.
• Baird’s tapirs are listed as endangered due to habitat loss and hunting.

There are efforts to protect these beautiful animals. It would be a terrible thing to lose such a unique animal.