Tapir 

 I.Introduction

In Amazonia the rain forest there is an animal that looks like a pig, it has a trunk. It is not a pig it is a horse and a rhino, it is called a tapir. I heard about this animal by reading a book called horses A thruogh Z. It sounded very interesting and I wanted to learn about an animal that is related to a horse. One thing I learned is that there are six different types of tapirs. Though out my research I hope it will become one of my favorite animal.

II. Family Members 

Tapirs are in groups all the time, they must love their family. When you find a group of tapirs caring for each other , they are called a candle. The tapir family is related to the Tapiride. They are also related to the horses and rhinos. Candle is leaving! Got to go with them.

III Ain't I Cute 

Look out for tapir waste while roaming around the rain forest floor. It looks like a pig, small cow, and a small elephant. There are six different types. First there is the Mountain tapir Wooly tapir. The adults are black with a brown nose. The babies are white with brown stripes. It is also the smallest tapir. Another tapir is the low land tapir. The adults are grey with a white chest. Babies are grey with brown stripes. Also there a tapir called Baird tapir. The adults are grey with white checks and chest. The babies are white with a little brown. Malay tapirs are a type of tapir too. Adults are black with a white behind and back. Babies are white with a little black. Second to last is the Tobler tapir. The adult is brown with a cinnamon color neck. The babies are black with a cinnamon color neck. The final tapir is the Miguelle tapir. Adults are white with a shade of grey on it's back. Babies are brown with a cinnamon color stripes. Tapirs are not very big their height at shoulder is twenty-nine to forty-two inches. Their wight is five hundred to eight hundred pounds.  

IV Home Sweet Home

Tapirs live in the Amazon Rain Forest in South America. It does not generaly migrate, except for the Malay tapir. It's range is forest and grass lands.

V Time to Eat

Tapirs are herbivores that means they only eat vegetation. So their diet is fruits, berries, leaves, shrubs, tender growth, buds, and twigs. They get their food by browsing, which means to take the trunk and grab leaves, twigs, and bushes. Just like elephants.

VI Enemies

Tapirs have many enemies. The enemies are tigers, leopards, jaguars, pythons, and crocodiles. It seems very odd that the python is one of the enemies of the tapir.

VII Self Defense

Tapirs have two ways to defend themselves. The first way is to use their sharp teeth . The other way is to run into the water so the animal can not get it. That is really cool how they defend themselves. Right?

VII Reproduction

Tapirs are very interesting. They reproduce in April and May, but every other year. Babies are born in thirteen  month  after they mated.. The young is called  a calf. Tapirs' life expencety is thirty years. Boy arn't you gald yo glad you ain't a tapir.

IX Friends or Not

You have human friends right? Well tapirs do too. Some people try to help and some don't. So be thankful you have a lot of nice human friends.