Trailcam Tapir
Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 2nd, 2009
Tapirs, like the one above, are being studied by researchers at Taman Negara, Malaysia’s largest national park.
For an interesting article by Anthony King, about “New Research on Malaysia’s Odd, Elusive Tapir,” see the New York Times.
The Malay tapir, the largest of the world’s four tapir species, remained largely invisible to science until recently.
Credit: Malayan Tapir PHVA: Malaysia
Tapir replicas and Philadelphia Zoo postcard: Tapir Preservation Fund, a member of the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group.
BTW, there may be yet another surprise ahead in terms of a new tapir species. We may have this to look forward to being verified in the future:
Van Roosmalen’s tapir. Unknown Hoofed mammal of South America.
Distribution: Rio Madeira drainage, Amazonas state, Brazil.
Significant sighting: In 1996–1997, Dutch zoologist Marc van Roosmalen glimpsed what he considers to be a new species of Tapir (Tapirus sp.) in the Amazon jungle.
Source: Laurie Goering, “Amazon Primatologist Shakes Family Tree for New Monkeys,” Chicago Tribune, July 11, 1999.
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Interesting article (NY Times) – Glad to hear someone is studying them. Although their population numbers are low, it is encouraging that their numbers and environment is stable for now. Strange but really neat animal. IMO.