Scenic Sunday: Malayan Tapir

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Tapirus indicus, Malayan tapir is found in the Malayan peninsular. I saw these in the Singapore zoo. They have an enlongated snout which reminds me of a short trunk of the elephant. The most obvious feature is the white stip from the front leg to the hind legs, known as the saddle. Malayan Tapirs have been trapped in the Malayan jungles and sold to zoos.

I copied this from
http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Perissodactyla/Tapirus_indicus.html

The body colouration is unmistakable: the front part of the body (ending just after front legs) and hind legs are black, while the back has a saddle of grizzled white or grey. While this colouration seems conspicuous, it renders the tapir nearly invisible in the moonlit jungle at night. Young animals are completely different from their mature relatives, resembling brown watermelons with whitish stripes and spots on a chocolate brown coat. They lose this baby coat 4-7 months after birth. The thick hide is sparsely covered with hair, and there is no mane or ridge on the neck. The body is round and barrel-shaped, the tail is no more than a stump. The nose and upper lip are extended to form a short, prehensile proboscis. The eyes are small and beady, and the ears are rimmed with white.