---
title: "What the sources say about the Malayan Tapir | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "66 claims from the Malayan Tapir profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Malayan Tapir (*Tapirus indicus*)

> 66 claims from the Malayan Tapir profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Malayan Tapir](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/malayan-tapir/)

## Gearty. Tapirus indicus (Malayan tapir). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tapirus_indicus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Born striped, grown two-tone | Newborn Malayan tapirs lack the adult coat pattern and have a coat with whitish stripes and spots which gradually fade by six months of age. (note: tagline) |
| Born striped, grown two-tone | Adults have a dramatic color pattern, with a black front half of their body, white sides, and black hind legs. (note: tagline) |
| armed with a prehensile snout for plucking leaves | The proboscis plays an important role in browsing, used to pluck leaves from branches and place them into the animal's mouth. (note: tagline) |
| prehensile snout | prominent, prehensile proboscis formed by an extended nose and upper lip (note: tagline) |
| Rain forests and other forests of Malaysia, Sumatra, Myanmar and Thailand | They occur in rain forests, jungles, primary forests, secondary forests (note: stats.habitat) |
| Leaves, buds, twigs, bark and fruit, plucked with a prehensile snout | The diet consists of leaves ( Baccaurea parviflora and Symplocis crassipes ), buds, growing twigs, bark (note: stats.diet) |
| Leaves, buds, twigs, bark and fruit, plucked with a prehensile snout | Fruit tends to be a large portion of the diet of the species (note: stats.diet) |
| A prehensile snout, formed from the nose and upper lip, that plucks leaves from branches and places them in its mouth | prominent, prehensile proboscis formed by an extended nose and upper lip (note: stats.superpower) |
| A prehensile snout, formed from the nose and upper lip, that plucks leaves from branches and places them in its mouth | used to pluck leaves from branches and place them into the animal's mouth (note: stats.superpower) |
| It has a proboscis, a prehensile snout, meaning one that can grip, formed by an extended nose and upper lip | prominent, prehensile proboscis formed by an extended nose and upper lip (note: 'meaning one that can grip' defines prehensile; not a source claim) |
| The proboscis plucks leaves from branches and places them in the tapir's mouth | used to pluck leaves from branches and place them into the animal's mouth |
| It eats leaves, buds, growing twigs, bark and fruit | The diet consists of leaves ( Baccaurea parviflora and Symplocis crassipes ), buds, growing twigs, bark |
| it feeds on more than 122 species of plants | they feed on more than 122 species of plants |
| A tapir eats between 4 and 5 percent of its body weight each day | Malayan tapirs eat between 4 and 5 percent of their body weight each day |
| it travels upwards of 5 km to seek out salt licks | Malayan tapirs crave salt and travel upwards of 5 km to seek out salt licks. |
| Adults have a black front half, white sides and black hind legs | Adults have a dramatic color pattern, with a black front half of their body, white sides, and black hind legs. |
| That pattern disrupts the body lines and makes an adult harder to recognize as potential prey | The black and white pattern of the adults disrupts the body lines and makes them more difficult to recognize as potential prey. |
| In the dark, the white saddle does not suggest the form of the whole animal | The white saddle does not suggest the form of the entire animal since the rest of the individual remains obscure in the dark. |
| Tigers and leopards are the major natural predators, but tapirs are not often preyed upon | are the major natural predators of Malayan tapirs; however, they are not often preyed upon |
| Calves lack the adult coat pattern: they are born with whitish stripes and spots | Newborn Malayan tapirs lack the adult coat pattern and have a coat with whitish stripes and spots which gradually fade by six months of age. |
| Skin up to 2.5 cm thick covers the back of the head and nape | They have thickened skin, up to 2.5 cm, on the back of the head and nape, thought to be a defensive measure against fanged animals. |
| It is thought to defend against fanged animals | thought to be a defensive measure against fanged animals |
| a tapir with a predator on its neck will attempt to bash it against a tree | If a predator does attach to the neck, the tapir will attempt to bash the assailant against a tree. |
| An attacked tapir will run away and find the nearest source of water to escape the chase | If an individual is attacked, it will run away and find the nearest source of water to escape the chase. |
| An adult Malayan tapir weighs 250 to 540 kg and is 1.8 to 2.5 m long | Individuals range from 250 to 540 kg, with a length of 1.8 to 2.5 m and a height of 0.9 to 1.1 m. |
| females tend to be larger than males by about 25 to 100 kg | Females tend to be larger than males by about 25 to 100 kg. |
| A female produces a single offspring every other year on average, although twins have been reported | producing a single offspring every other year on average, although twins have been reported |
| calves can swim at three weeks old | Calves eat solid food as early as two weeks old and are capable of swimming at three weeks old. |
| Malayan tapirs are generally considered solitary and nocturnal, but in undisturbed forests they are crepuscular, meaning active around twilight, rather than completely nocturnal | Although generally considered solitary, nocturnal animals, Malayan tapirs are more tolerant of conspecifics and demonstrate crepuscular rather than completely nocturnal activity in undisturbed forests. (note: 'active around twilight' defines crepuscular) |
| They seek out marshes and rivers for swimming | Malayan tapirs seek out marshes and rivers for swimming |
| they may walk along the bottom of deep rivers, holding their breath for up to 90 seconds | they may walk along the bottom of deep rivers, holding their breath for up to 90 seconds |
| A newborn's whitish stripes and spots gradually fade by six months of age | Newborn Malayan tapirs lack the adult coat pattern and have a coat with whitish stripes and spots which gradually fade by six months of age. |
| Gestation lasts 390 to 410 days, or 13 to 13.5 months | The gestation period of the female lasts between 390 and 410 days (13 to 13.5 months). |
| A healthy calf can usually stand within one or two hours of birth | A healthy calf can usually stand within one or two hours of birth |
| A snout that grips | prominent, prehensile proboscis formed by an extended nose and upper lip (note: heading) |
| Hiding in the dark | The black and white pattern of the adults disrupts the body lines and makes them more difficult to recognize as potential prey. (note: heading) |
| Thick nape | They have thickened skin, up to 2.5 cm, on the back of the head and nape (note: blockquote lead-in) |
| Twilight swimmers | Malayan tapirs seek out marshes and rivers for swimming (note: heading) |
| Twilight swimmers | demonstrate crepuscular rather than completely nocturnal activity in undisturbed forests (note: heading) |
| Hiding in the dark | the rest of the individual remains obscure in the dark (note: heading) |
| Size and staying power | Individuals range from 250 to 540 kg (note: heading) |
| Their only calls are whistles, clicks and hiccup-like noises, often made in response to fear or pain, as a warning, or during mating. | The only vocalizations of Malayan tapirs are whistles, clicks, and hiccup-like noises, often made in response to fear or pain, as an appeasement to conspecifics, as a warning call, or during mating |
| Malayan tapirs make only whistles, clicks and hiccup-like noises. | The only vocalizations of Malayan tapirs are whistles, clicks, and hiccup-like noises |
| weightKg: 296 | Average mass 296 kg |
| tags: hoofed | Malayan tapirs have four toes on their forefeet and three toes on their hind feet, each of which ends in a hoof. |
| tags: camouflage | The black and white pattern of the adults disrupts the body lines and makes them more difficult to recognize as potential prey. |
| dangerLevel: Low | Otherwise, the species has no adverse effects on humans. |

## Acrocodia indica (Malayan tapir) longevity, ageing, and life history. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Acrocodia_indica

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| One captive tapir lived for 36.5 years | One captive specimen lived for 36.5 years |
| Size and staying power | One captive specimen lived for 36.5 years (note: heading) |

## Tapir. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/tapir

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The Malayan tapir is the only tapir from Asia | Malayan tapir Tapirus indicus : The only tapir from Asia |

## Witmer, Sampson & Solounias (1999). The proboscis of tapirs (Mammalia: Perissodactyla): a case study in novel narial anatomy. Journal of Zoology.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1999.tb00763.x

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A study of the proboscis in tapirs as a group | Evolution of the proboscis of tapirs entailed wholesale transformation of the narial apparatus and facial architecture |
| A study of the proboscis in tapirs as a group found that its evolution involved retraction and reduction of the bony and cartilaginous facial skeleton | retraction and reduction of the bony and cartilaginous facial skeleton (note: genus scope: the abstract names tapirs, not Tapirus indicus; the sentence says so) |
| while the soft tissue around the upper lip and nose became a mobile, fleshy proboscis | soft tissues surrounding the upper lip and nose became elaborated to form a mobile, fleshy proboscis |
| The authors conclude it is best interpreted as a muscular hydrostat, an organ whose muscle and connective tissue expanded as its bone and cartilage were reduced | The reduction of the osseocartilaginous portion of the proboscis, coupled with expansion of the muscular and connective tissue components, has resulted in an organ that is best interpreted as a muscular hydrostat. |

## Cryptic mammals caught on camera: Assessing the utility of range wide camera trap data for conserving the endangered Asian tapir. Biological Conservation, 2013.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2013.03.028

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A camera-trap survey across 19 study areas | across 19 study areas drawn from the Asian tapir’s entire range |
| tapir occurrence was significantly and negatively correlated with human disturbance | their occurrence was significantly and negatively correlated with human disturbance |

## Traeholt et al. (2016). Tapirus indicus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T21472A45173636.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-1.rlts.t21472a45173636.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Rain forests and other forests of Malaysia, Sumatra, Myanmar and Thailand | Indonesia (Sumatera); Malaysia; Myanmar; Thailand (note: stats.habitat) |
| from sea level up to 2,150 metres | UPPER ELEVATION LIMIT 2,150 metres LOWER ELEVATION LIMIT 0 metres (note: stats.habitat and body) |
| Endangered | Endangered A2bcd+3bcd; C1 (note: conservationStatus) |
| Its 2014 assessment lists the species in Malaysia, Sumatra in Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand | DATE ASSESSED 17 November 2014 ... Indonesia (Sumatera); Malaysia; Myanmar; Thailand |
| The IUCN Red List rates it Endangered | Endangered A2bcd+3bcd; C1 |
| and gives the population trend as decreasing | DATE ASSESSED 17 November 2014 ... CURRENT POPULATION TREND Decreasing |
| Yes. The IUCN Red List rates it Endangered | Endangered A2bcd+3bcd; C1 |
| Its 2014 assessment gives the number of mature individuals as 2,499 | DATE ASSESSED 17 November 2014 ... NUMBER OF MATURE INDIVIDUALS 2,499 |
| and the trend as decreasing | DATE ASSESSED 17 November 2014 ... CURRENT POPULATION TREND Decreasing |
| The IUCN Red List rates the species Endangered | Endangered A2bcd+3bcd; C1 |