Endangered Malayan tapir baby announced at ZooTampa

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tapir
New Malayan tapir born. CREDIT: ZOOTAMPA

A Florida zoo just announced the birth of an adorable endangered striped mammal.

According to a social media post from ZooTampa, an endangered Malayan tapir calf was born earlier this week.

Given that it takes 13 months for a Malayan tapir to give birth, the mother, named Ubi, has been resting with her yet-to-be-named baby.

The species is indigenous to the Indonesian island of Sumatra and only has about 2,500 left in the wild.

The species can weigh up to 750 pounds and live up to 30 years in managed care.

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New Malayan tapir born. CREDIT: ZOOTAMPA

According to Tapirday.org, the species is endangered because of loss of habitat, especially due to the conversion of the species’ habitat to palm oil plantations and other human-dominated land use.

“One important way that you can help tapirs and other species is to purchase items made from sustainably sourced palm oil. Sustainable palm oil production follows environmental standards to help keep the forest healthy,” said ZooTampa on the Instagram post.

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New tapir born laying with mother. CREDIT: ZOOTAMPA

When the Malayan tapir is born, it has spots all over its body. As the baby grows up, the spots fade away, and eventually, the skin will have a two-toned dark and grey appearance.

The tapir is most closely related to the horse and rhino.

They are also one of the most primitive herbivores in the world, dating back 20 million years.

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