Black-backed tapir (lat. Tapirus indicus) is an equid-hoofed mammal from the Tapir family (Tapiridae). It lives in Sumatra, as well as in Thailand, Vietnam, Burma and Malaysia. It is often referred to as the Indian or Malayan tapir.

This species was discovered by Europeans in 1819 and got its name from a white spot on the back of the body, called saddlecloth. The tapir family is represented by 4 species, of which 3 species (mountain, lowland and Central American) live in the tropical forests of Central and South America.

These amazing animals are considered relatives of rhinos and horses.

They are called living relics, they have been living on our planet for more than 35 million years and have practically not changed during this time. The fossil remains of these animals found in Great Britain date back to about 100 thousand years old. In those distant times, they were still widespread throughout the world.

In Asia black-backed tapir valued not only for its delicious, pork-like meat, but also considered the keeper of home comfort and a formidable repeller of evil spirits.

Behavior

This species lives exclusively in areas covered with dense tropical forests. There he finds a safe haven and an abundance of plant food. The lair is usually located near the source fresh water springs, rivers or lakes.

Tapirs can also settle in swampy areas, they love coolness and mud baths. In order not to get bogged down in the swamp, they spread their toes wide apart. Animals are excellent swimmers and can dive. Particularly impressive is their ability to walk underwater along the bottom of a reservoir like hippos. To inhale air, it is enough for them to expose only the tip of their elongated nose.

In case of danger, black-backed tapirs flee, able to easily climb steep hillsides. They belong to non-ruminant herbivores, feed mainly on young leaves of trees and shrubs, rarely eat fruits and herbaceous vegetation.

In the process of searching for food, tapirs continuously feel the ground with a sensitive short trunk, accurately identifying the smell of their relatives and predators.

They are convinced individualists, lead a solitary nocturnal lifestyle, and only mother and her funny cubs form family groups. Significant paths are laid in the forest, leading mainly to a watering place. They strenuously mark them, scattering urine around. When meeting a relative, they take a threatening stance, snort and bare their teeth.

The tapir's eyesight is poor, but its hearing and sense of smell are simply excellent. The wedge-shaped body allows him to move very quickly among dense thickets, having heard the slightest suspicious noise.

reproduction

The mating season takes place in April-May. At this time, partners in love tirelessly make lingering whistling sounds and gently bite each other's sides and ears. Pregnancy lasts about 400 days. Cute ones are born
the striped and nosed young are dark brown in color with many longitudinal white stripes.

The weight of newborn babies is 7-10 kg. Cubs grow very quickly and reach the dimensions of adult animals by 7 months. Upon reaching this age, the children's color begins to disappear.

Description

Body length 180-220 cm, height at withers 60-105 cm, weight 250-500 kg, tail 5-10 cm. Males usually fewer females. The number of teeth is 42 or 44. The head, front of the body and hind limbs are black. The back and sides are covered with grayish-white hair. The hairline is short and sparse.

The skin on the head and back of the neck, up to 25 mm thick, protects the animal from damage when moving in thickets and from bites of predators. A small trunk was formed as a result of the fusion of the nose and upper lip. Rear end above the withers. The massive body is distinguished by rounded outlines.

The legs are short, but very muscular and allow you to develop decent speed on short distances. The front ends with four, and the back with three fingers. The eyes are small, round, brownish. Occasionally there are specimens with a black color.

Black-backed tapirs easily get used to captivity and do well in zoos. IN vivo their numbers are constantly declining due to deforestation in Southeast Asia, so they are recognized as a vulnerable species. Since the middle of the last century, the previously popular trade in tapir meat has been banned in Thailand, the capture or sale of this animal can result in a fine of 5-6 thousand dollars. USA.

The life expectancy of the black-backed tapir is about 30 years.

According to legend, this animal was created from body parts of different animals. Let's look at a photo of a tapir, maybe it will tell us the secrets of this strange beast.

The genus of tapirs is represented by four species. One of them is the black-backed tapir (or Malayan tapir), and he will become the hero of this story.

Appearance of a tapir

These animals are somewhat remotely reminiscent of a pig, if you attach a trunk to it. Tapirs are not small. It is worth noting that black-backed tapirs are the largest of their kind.

The body length of these mammals is about 2.5 meters, and tapirs grow up to a meter in height.


Black-backed tapirs are the largest of all tapirs.

Adult individuals of the black-backed tapir weigh approximately 250 - 320 kilograms. The color of the Malayan tapir is black and white. The front part of the body, up to the middle of the back, and the hind legs are painted black. But the rest of the body is white.

On the muzzle of the tapir, there is a small trunk-shaped nose, which endowed the animal with a keen sense of smell.

Where does the black-backed tapir live?


These mammals of the tapir genus live in Southeast Asia, namely: in Thailand, on the island of Sumatra, in Myanmar and Malaysia.

Lifestyle and nutrition of an animal named tapir

The vision of tapirs is not well developed, but this is compensated by an excellent sense of smell. Tapirs are active at dusk and at night.

In general, tapirs are by nature very secretive and shy animals, despite their weighty size. Swimming is a special pleasure for tapirs, they are very fond of water and are happy to spend time in it.


The diet of black-backed tapirs consists of young foliage and a variety of shoots. In addition, tapirs can eat moss, grass and fruits.

Reproduction of black-backed tapirs and their life expectancy

In tapirs, the initiator of the formation of a pair is not a male, but a female. Strange feature, isn't it? After the formation of a "family" and mating, the female bears offspring for about 13 - 14 months! Yes, yes, the pregnancy of tapirs lasts that long!


Baby tapir - he is not at all similar in color to his parents.

After that, only one cub is born. At birth, the baby is painted in a spotted coloring, which completely changes by four months.

An unusual tapir animal (you will see a photo, description and lifestyle in the article) combines the structure and color of several animals at once, and today “Me and the World” will tell about this ancient inhabitant of the planet.

Ancient inhabitant of the planet

Who is this, or could it be? This is an artiodactyl animal, a detachment of animals and the tapir family, resembling in color, but in structure a wild boar. But instead of a snout, a proboscis grows on the muzzle. And this boar-panda-elephant is called a tapir.

The length of his body can reach two meters or more, but usually it is less by 20-25 cm, and it grows about 1 meter in height. Average weight - 270-300 kg.


Because of the trunk, it seems that the muzzle is too elongated. With such a nose, the tapir reaches out to the delicacy, it can lengthen, and then retract back. At its tip there are hairs that serve as an organ of touch. Hearing is also well developed, but small eyes see quite poorly. On a fairly developed jaw, they grow very sharp teeth.


The color of each species is different, and there are only five of them. Four live in America, and one in Asia is the Black-backed Tapir, whose skin is colored and resembles a panda.

Living environment and habits

They live in dense areas, where it is very difficult to meet them - they hide in the most remote places and are very afraid of people. They prefer to be constantly near water bodies, because water for them is both a habitat, and bathing, and protection from predators. Thanks to the ability to stay at the bottom for a long time, only when they sense the enemy, they rush into the water with a run and go along the bottom to the very bottom. deep place. For some time, tapirs are at the bottom, having had a snack on the plants of the reservoir at one time.


They love to swim very much, and after taking a mud bath, you definitely need to rinse in warm water. Each tapir bypasses its territory along their own trodden paths, and if they meet a relative, then everything can end in a brawl. Although it usually ends with "sound" negotiations, because they know how to talk to each other.


At night they like to make forays into agricultural fields, to eat sweet corn or something else. For this, the farmers brutally shoot them. Tapirs are also killed because of the very tasty and soft meat.


During the breeding season, from the moment of courtship to birth, about a year passes, because the pregnancy lasts almost 400 days. Only one cub weighing up to 8 kg is born. The coloration resembles boar babies: the same white stripes on a gray background. They grow quickly and reach the size of an adult animal in six months, and soon leave their mother for "adult life".

plains tapir

Small stature and medium weight, dark brown color. A stiff, upright mane grows between the ears and along the neck. It lives on the mainland in South America, where it flows. What does the inhabitant of the plains eat? These are mostly leaves of trees and shrubs, aquatic plants, fruits and fruits, which it reaches with its trunk. If he cannot reach something, he stands on his hind legs, and with his front legs rests on the trunk.


Inhabitant of the center of America

Central American - the largest of the American tapirs, reaches a height of 120 cm, and weighs up to 300 kg. The mane is very small, and the color is gray with a light spot in front of the neck. In terms of lifestyle, it is similar to the plains, but is listed in the Red Book as an endangered species.


mountain dweller

The mountain is the smallest, its length does not exceed 180 cm, weight is 230-240 kg, and the height at the withers is only 70-80 cm. The coat is dark brown, almost black, unlike other animals, soft, wavy, thick. Lives in the Andes, rising to a height of up to 4000 km. The lifestyle is unknown, because it can be found very rarely, therefore it is listed in the Red Book as very rare.


Asian look

It is also called Indian. Black-backed is the largest of all American and reaches a weight of just over 300 kg and a body length of more than 250 cm. With a long, strong trunk, powerful, strong legs. The middle of the body is grayish-white (saddle cap), the rest of the body is black. It seems that such a color is bright, but on a sunny day, the black-backed tapir is difficult to notice. They live in the tropics of Sumatra, in southern Thailand and Burma. The lifestyle is the same as other species.


Tapirs do well in captivity. For example, in the Moscow Zoo, this beast perfectly coexists with wildebeest and giraffes.

Video

Now you know what an unusual and ancient animal looks like - Tapir. It is a pity that every year their number is reduced. And the main reason is extermination for the sake of meat. Now it is important to preserve these animals that survived even the Ice Age.

The black-backed tapir, which is also called the Malay tapir, is the largest and at the same time, perhaps, the most beautiful in its family, which includes, in addition to it, three more species - the plain tapir, the mountain tapir and the Central American tapir.

Unlike its relatives, the black-backed tapir lives in Asia, and more specifically in Malaysia, Indonesia (Sumatra), Thailand and Burma. The mass of adult animals is approximately 250-320 kg.

Black-backed tapirs live in tropical forests. It feeds on foliage, grass, aquatic plants, as well as twigs and fruits.
Tapirs usually mate in April-May. Females bring offspring, as a rule, every year. Pregnancy lasts approximately 390 days, after which one baby is born, which weighs approximately 10 kg.

The cubs of the black-backed tapir have a variegated striped-spotted color, which over time (about the 5th month) gradually transforms into the color characteristic of this species. At first glance, such a strange color of a black-backed tapir seems strange - a white saddle immediately catches the eye on a general dark background. However, in dense tropical thickets, even on a sunny day, tapir is not so easy to spot. Black-backed tapirs reach sexual maturity at about three years of age.


The tapir's eyesight is not very sharp, but he has an excellent sense of smell and good hearing. In general, the lifestyle of the black-backed tapir is not much different from its American relatives.

Today, this amazing animal is quite rare and protected by law. The good news is that black-backed tapirs breed well in captivity, in which they can live for about 30 years.

The nature of tapirs is peaceful and flexible. These animals are easily tamed, especially if they are raised by humans from infancy. Hand tapirs are very playful and love to follow their master like dogs.

scientific classification:
Detachment: equids (Perissodactyla)
Family: tapirs (Tapiridae)
View: black-backed tapir (lat. Tapirus indicus)

One of the unusual representatives of herbivorous mammals - tapir. Outwardly, he has some resemblance to a pig. It attracts an interesting nose in the form of a small proboscis and a friendly character in the animal.

Description and appearance features

Tapir is a member of the equine order. Translated from the language of the South American tribes means "fat", was nicknamed for his thick skin. A strong, elastic body in an individual with strong legs and a short tail. There are 4 fingers on the forelimbs, 3 on the hind limbs. The skin is covered with short dense hair. different colors, depending on the type.

On the head upper lip elongated with a nose, ending in a heel with sensitive hairs. This forms a small proboscis, which helps in eating and in the study. surrounding area.

What is very important in case of poor eyesight of the animal. The average length of the body of a tapir is 2 meters, with a height at the withers within a meter. The length of the tail is 7-13 cm. The weight reaches 300 kg, while the females are always larger than the males.

tapir animal, which has peaceful traits, treats people well, so it is easy to tame it. Mammals are a little clumsy and slow, but in dangerous moments they run fast. Lovers to play and swim in the pond.

Kinds

Four species are best studied. Among them, only one lives in highlands. The fifth species was discovered more recently.

1. Central American tapir

Body length: 176-215 cm.

Height at the withers (height): 77-110 cm.

Weight: 180-250 kg.

Habitat: From the north of Mexico to Ecuador and Colombia.

Features: One of the rare and poorly studied species. Inhabits the humid tropics. Keeps close to water, excellent swimmer and diver.

Appearance: large mammal american forests. It has a small mane and a coat of dark brownish tones. The area of ​​the cheeks and neck is light gray.

Central American tapir

2. mountain tapir

Body length: 180 cm.

Height: 75-80cm.

Weight: 225-250 kg.

Habitat: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela.

Features: The smallest representative of tapirs. Lives in mountainous areas, rising to a height of up to 4000 meters, to lower border snow. Rare poorly studied species.

Appearance: Elastic body ends with a short tail. The limbs are slender and muscular, because mountain tapir have to overcome rocky obstacles. The coat color varies from dark brown to black. The ends of the lips and ears are light in color.

mountain tapir

3. plains tapir

Body length: 198-202 cm.

Height: 120cm.

Weight: 300 kg.

Habitat: South America, from Colombia and Venezuela to Bolivia and Paraguay.

Features: The most famous and widespread species. Plain tapir leads a solitary lifestyle, inhabits wet rainforests. Females bring one cub, reddish-brown with spots and longitudinal stripes.

Appearance: Compact, sturdy animal with fairly strong limbs. Small straight, stiff mane. The coat color is black-brown on the back and brown on the legs, on the ventral and thoracic parts of the body. There is a light border on the ears.

plains tapir

4. black-backed tapir

Body length: 185-240 cm.

Height: 90-105cm.

Weight: 365 kg.

Habitat: South- East Asia(Thailand, southeast Burma, Mallaka Peninsula and neighboring islands).

Appearance: black-backed tapir attracts with unusual coloring. A grayish-white spot (saddlecloth) is formed in the back area, similar to a blanket. Other coats are dark, almost black. The ears are also edged with white. The coat is small, there is no mane on the back of the head. Thick skin on the head, up to 20-25 mm, is a good protector against predator bites.

black-backed tapir

5. Small black tapir

Body length: 130 cm.

Height: 90 cm.

Weight: 110 kg.

Habitat: inhabits the territory of the Amazon (Brazil, Colombia)

Features: Discovered quite recently with the help of camera traps. The female is larger than the male. The smallest and poorly studied species.

Appearance: Individuals with dark brown or dark gray hair. Females have a light spot on the lower part of the chin and neck.

Small black tapir

Habitat and lifestyle

One of the most ancient mammals. Now only 5 species have survived. Enemies of animals on land are jaguars, tigers, anacondas, bears, in the water - crocodiles. But the main threat comes from humans. Hunting reduces livestock, and deforestation reduces habitat.

Studying the question what continent does the tapir live on, it is worth noting that habitats have been significantly reduced. The main 4 species live in Central America and in warm areas. And the other is in the lands of Southeast Asia.

These mammals are lovers of wet, dense jungles, where there is a lot of lush vegetation. And there must be a pond or a river nearby, because they spend a lot of time in a pond, swim and dive with pleasure.

Animals are active in the evening and at night, so find a tapir very hard during the day. Mountain animals are awake during the day. In case of danger, they can switch to a nocturnal lifestyle. In the dry period or with the negative impact of humans on the habitat, animals migrate.

Tapirs run fast, can jump, crawl, because they have to move in difficult forests with fallen trees or along mountain slopes. Favorite pastime is swimming in ponds with diving. And some individuals can eat algae underwater.

Mexican tapir

Tapirs in the plains live alone and when they meet they often show aggressive temper. Animals mark their territory, therefore they are hostile to strangers. They communicate with each other with sharp, piercing sounds similar to a whistle. When frightened, they flee, extremely rarely they can bite.

Nutrition

rich vegetation moist forests is the main food source. The diet of a tapir includes leaves of trees, shrubs or young palms, shoots, fallen fruits. Lovers of swimming and diving in the pond, they can eat algae from the bottom.

Due to the fact that the territories of residence are shrinking, animals cannot always find tasty fruits. They attack farmland, gnaw at cocoa shoots, destroy thickets of sugar cane, mangoes, and melons. This damages plantations. And the owners are taking drastic measures by shooting tapirs.

Tapirs love to eat leaves and tree branches.

The favorite delicacy of mammals is salt. Therefore, for her sake, they travel long distances. High density of herbivores in the lowlands of Paraguay. Here the land is rich in sulfuric and hydrochloric soda, and animals lick the ground with pleasure. They also fill the need for trace elements by using chalk and clay.

Captive tapir inhabits in closed paddocks with a size of at least 20 m² and always with a pond. They eat the same food as pigs: vegetables, fruits, grass, combined feed. Due to lack sunlight, respectively, vitamin D, the animal may lag behind in growth and development. Therefore, vitamins and minerals are added to the feed. A delicacy, of course, will be sweet fruits, sugar, crackers.

Reproduction and lifespan

Puberty individuals comes to 3-4 years. The female is larger than the male by almost 100 kg, and outwardly they do not differ in color. Tapir mating takes place throughout the year and the initiator of these relationships is the female. The process of copulation takes place not only on land, but also in water.

During mating games the male runs after the female for a long time and makes grunting sounds similar to whistling or screeching. Sexual partners do not differ in fidelity; every year the female changes the male. The pregnancy of tapirs lasts a little over a year, almost 14 months.

Mountain tapir baby

As a result, a cub is born, often one. The average weight of a baby is 4-8 kg (varies, depends on the species diversity of animals). Small tapir in the photo color is different from the mother. The coat has spots and dotted stripes. This view helps to hide in a dense forest. Over time, after six months, this coloring disappears.

For the first week, the baby and mother hide under the cover of shrubs. Mother feeds milk, lying on the ground. And already with next week the cub follows her in search of food. Gradually, the female accustoms the baby to plant foods.

Breastfeeding ends after one year. By 1.5 years, the cubs reach the size of adults, and puberty occurs at 3-4 years of age. On average at good conditions tapirs live for about 30 years. Even in captivity, they can reach this age.

Poaching for meat, dense skins and deforestation in habitats have a tragic effect on the population. Uncontrolled extermination of tapirs reduces the population of animals and leads to the extinction of species.