One of the most common species of the kind of tapirs is considered to be flat tapir. What interesting can tell us the science of this amazing animal from South America? Plain tapir is a mammal belonging to the family of tapirs. This monotonous animal is like a cross between a wild boar and a hippopotamus, although they are not relatives.
These animals grow in length about two meters. The mass of the tapir varies from 150 to 270 kilograms. Males are 25 – 100 kilograms smaller than females. The tail of this tapir is short, its length does not exceed 8 centimeters. The height of the flat tapir in the shoulders ranges from 77 to 110 centimeters.
A distinctive feature of the plain tapir is its occipital mane. It is worth noting that among all the tapirs – this kind of the most “grivasty”. For example, the Central American tapir with such “hair” can not boast. And the cappella tapir does not have it at all.
The wool of the plain tapirs has a dark brown color, sometimes black hair also can be seen. Sometimes the fur on the cheeks and neck is painted in a light shade. These animals are indigenous to South America. They can be found east of the Andes. They live in the territory from Colombia and Venezuela to the southern part of Brazil. We can say that their range begins where the Central American tapir habitat ends.
Like other tapirs, representatives of this species are nocturnal animals. This is explained by a timid and cautious disposition. Plain tapirs are excellent swimmers and divers. In the way of life these animals are single animals.
The diet of plain tapirs consists of plant foods, which are shoots of plants, leaves, branches, buds. In addition, they eat algae.
