Lifespan
25-30 years in the wild,
up to 36 years under human care.
Wildlife Reserves Singapore Group
Lifespan
up to 36 years under human care.
Diet
bark, herbs, low growing succulents, shrubs, fruits, club moss, grasses, tubers, and aquatic plants
Habitat
Also secondary, forests.
Range
through the Malayan Peninsula, as well as Sumatra, Indonesia.
The Malayan tapir has a dramatic coat pattern, often referred to as the "saddle" pattern because of its position and shape. The front half of their body and hind legs are black, while the sides are white. This breaks up its outline and creates an illusive vision of a boulder.
Which is why you might find it a challenge to spot our tapirs in their exhibit at the Zoo. Especially if they’re keeping still. Even if they’re right smack in front of you. Be patient and look again!
Tapirs are fast and agile swimmers. You might see our tapirs taking a dip in the pond in their exhibit, to cool off or wash away skin parasites.
Tapirs are known to walk along riverbeds, holding their breath for up to 90 seconds. Alternatively, they use their trunk as a snorkel!
The trunk also works like a hand to bring food to the mouth and to probe unfamiliar objects. The exhibit is planted with all manner of shrubs, shoots and leaves for our tapirs to munch on.
Many rainforest animals are threatened by deforestation, habitat degradation, and the illegal wildlife trade. Visit our conservation pages for more information on projects that WRS supports, and to find out how you can get involved too.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.
At relatively low risk of extinction
Likely to become vulnerable in the near future
At high risk of extinction in the wild
At very high risk of extinction in the wild
At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
Survives only in captivity
No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity
