Happy World Tapir Day!  That’s right, April 27 is World Tapir Day.  I can hear half of you (okay, maybe three-quarters) asking “What in God’s name is a tapir, and why do I care?”  The short answer to that is that tapirs are charmingly rotund relatives of the elephant and the rhino, and you care because they are a) freaking adorable, and b) endangered or vulnerable everywhere they live.

A lowland or Brazilian tapir. Isn't he a charmer?

Tapirs are perissodactyls, or odd-toed ungulates, a group that was once the source of the world’s dominant grazers, but these days is down to a handful of species, including elephants and horses.  There are now four species of tapirs, three in Central and South America, and one in Asia.  Being large forest and jungle dwellers with an affection for water, they are seriously threatened by habitat destruction.  You may note that they come fully equipped with a charmingly elastic nose?  They’re no elephants, but that proboscis gives them a great sense of smell and helps them to get foliage they might otherwise have trouble with.  Lowland, mountain, and Baird’s tapirs are all the brown color you see above, but Malayan tapirs come with their own formal wear for a black and white ball.

The Malayan tapirs at the Bronx Zoo

Baby tapirs are born with protective spots and stripes and are one of the cutest things on the planet.

Could he be any more adorable?

So, take a moment today to appreciate one of the world’s most endearing grazers, and check them out the next time you’re at the zoo!  As for me, I think this says it all:

Photos courtesy of The Tapir Gallery.

Tags: tapir, The Tapir Gallery, world tapir day

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