Tapirus indicus, Asian Tapir

myminifactory

The Asian tapir, also known as the Malayan tapir, is the largest of its four living species, weighing in at around 350 to 400 kg or roughly 800 to 900 pounds. Its coat features a striking white 'saddle' on a predominantly black background, which provides an effective camouflage strategy by breaking up its outline and making it harder to spot in forested areas where it resides. This remarkable creature is the last remnant of a once-thriving group of tapirs that previously inhabited much of Europe and Asia. Among these ancient relatives was the massive Tapirus augustus from southern China's Pliocene era, a close cousin of the Asian tapir that rivaled the size of a small rhinoceros. Unfortunately, the future prospects for this majestic animal are grim due to habitat loss resulting from human population growth, earning it an 'endangered' listing on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Dr. Matthew Colbert's research in 2003 sheds light on this species through his online article "Tapirus indicus" on Digital Morphology, accessed May 18, 2017 at digimorph.org/specimens/Tapirus_indicus/.