Go inside an enclosure at the Fota Wildlife Park in Ireland, where the Brazilian tapirs are enjoying some extra care from their rangers. These “living fossils” may look like large pigs with long-ish noses, “but they’re actually more closely related to horses, zebras, and rhinos.”
The rangers are also giving extra care to Maya, who has been pregnant for almost 13 months. She and the other tapirs are going to enjoy a meal of fruit, veggies, vitamin and mineral pellets, branches, and hay.
Also discussed: The tapir’s ability to spray urine 2 to 3 meters (7 to 10 feet) behind them. Related: This famous zoo sign.
When the cameras visit Fota again in early 2019, via Nature Bites, the baby is a newborn. From FotaWildlife.ie:
“Lead Ranger Aidan Rafferty said about the birth ‘We are absolutely thrilled with the birth of this Brazilian tapir which is part of the European Endangered species Programme (EEP), as the species has been classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the reasons for their decline in the wild include habitat loss, illegal hunting and competition with livestock.
“Right now, the calf has a lovely reddish-brown coat with stripes and spots which in the wild would help her blend in with the dappling effect of the sunlight through the leaves of the forest canopy – thus evading predators like the jaguar.'”
The baby’s camouflage will slowly fade, disappearing by the time it’s six months old.
Watch these videos next:
• Why do tapirs like being underwater?
• A spotty baby Malayan tapir at the Prague Zoo
Plus: More babies.
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