Is it an elephant? A pig? No, it’s a tapir! The tapir is perhaps one of the strangest and least known animals, not only at the zoo, but throughout the world. Despite their general resemblance to a pig, tapirs are not related to pigs, nor are they related to elephants, despite their short trunk.  Tapirs are part of the order of animals with split hooves. Their closest relative is the rhinoceros, and they belong in the same order as horses. In the past, this order was rich with types of species, but today, these groups- the South American tapir, Baird’s tapir, mountain tapir, and Kabomani tapir, which has been recently determined as its own species, live in South America, along with another species, the Asian tapir, which lives in Southeast Asia. In times of distress, the tapirs will flee to water and distance themselves from danger by swimming or diving. Tapirs move with the same amount of ease on land, including rough or entangled surfaces.

Photo: Shai Ben Ami

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