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BohoBio Bio
Hello, my name in Tipsy, and this is my BohoBio Bio
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Name : Tipsy the Tapir
Scientific Name : Tapirus indicus Other Name : Asian tapir, Malayan tapir Hometown : rainforest in Khao Sok National Park, Thailand Favorite food : vegetarian (herbivore), I like fruits, leaves, twigs, bark, and plants that grow in the water Personality : shy, keep to myself but mingle on occasion, active dawn and dusk Best Features : long, flexible nose that is good at both smelling and grabbing and can be used like a snorkel when walking in deep water Biggest Concerns : avoiding tigers & leopards, surviving intense human impact Shout out : Tapir Specialists Group |
WHERE I’M FROM
There are 4 species of tapirs in the world, with 3 species that live in Central and South America, and 1 living in southeastern Asia. I am a Malayan tapir and live in Khao Sok National Park in southern Thailand. While I live in a rainforest, my kind do well in drier forests and mountain cloud forests. We are quite shy, so don’t wander about in the open much. We also don’t like the bright light of day, so we are mostly active at dawn or dusk or during a well moonlit night.
TRAITS & ABILITIES
I am a big girl. My body is about 2 meters (6 feet) long and 1 meter (3 feet) tall and I weigh a hefty 250 kg (550 pounds). We Malayan tapirs are bigger than our cousins living in the Americas. We are also the only tapirs with an “Oreo cookie” pattern with dark-colored fur front and back and white fur in the middle. I am surprisingly agile considering my size. I am good at climbing steep hills, I can run fast if I need to, and I am also a great swimmer. I enjoy going into the water and walking along the bottom of the river. If the water is over my head, I can use my long nose as a snorkel!
Besides helping me to breath underwater, my nose is also very good at helping me find and pick up my food. My nose is flexible enough that I can use it to grab my food and put it into my mouth for chewing.
I like to eat fruits when I can find them, but can also eat leaves, twigs and bark of trees. When in the water I will feast on plants I find there which are particularly soft and delicious. I need to eat a lot to maintain and move around my large body, so I usually eat about 40 kg (90 pounds) of vegetation per day.
Besides helping me to breath underwater, my nose is also very good at helping me find and pick up my food. My nose is flexible enough that I can use it to grab my food and put it into my mouth for chewing.
I like to eat fruits when I can find them, but can also eat leaves, twigs and bark of trees. When in the water I will feast on plants I find there which are particularly soft and delicious. I need to eat a lot to maintain and move around my large body, so I usually eat about 40 kg (90 pounds) of vegetation per day.
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FAMILY LIFE
Pregnancy was a long process for me and lasted 13 months after which I gave birth to one baby calf. This is typical of tapirs around the world. My calf looked quite different from me, her body was covered with white spots and didn’t have a broad white stripe. This helped to keep her camouflaged in the forest while she was small and vulnerable to predators. I protected my calf for about a year and a half after which she went off to start a family of her own.
THREATS
My large size and thick skin make me difficult to catch by my main predators which are tigers and leopards. If attacked I will run for a river if one is nearby since I can swim better than they can. The biggest threat to tapirs in Asia and the Americas is humans, who have been cutting down my home forests for use for their own homes, farms and for raising cattle. Humans also used to hunt us extensively for meat and to use our skin as a type of leather. It is now illegal to trade us internationally, but people still do.
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