Meet Mazie! 😃 The adorable baby South American Tapir! (pronounced tay-per) Baby Tapirs look like a watermelon with legs, but those distinctive markings will fade in 6 months. The spots and stripes are beneficial camouflage in the wild while they are young and vulnerable to predators. They look like they would be related to an elephant, but they are actually most closely related to horses and rhinos! Unfortunately, they are considered vulnerable in the wild, with their numbers decreasing due to

100K views · 1.1K reactions | This solitary animal only spends time with fellow members of his species for food and reproduction.  Meet the Malayan tapir. | Brut nature | Facebook

1.5K views · 917 reactions | Water baby!  Tapirs can swim and often cool off in water. This South American tapir at the Emperor Valley Zoo enjoys the water jets each time his pond is being refilled! Tapir Fact! - Tapirs are related to horses and rhinoceroses! #Tapir #EmperorValleyZoo | Emperor Valley Zoo | Facebook

Tapirs are gentle, plant-eating mammals that live in the forests and grasslands of Central and South America, as well as Southeast Asia. They are distant relatives of horses and rhinos and are easily recognized by their short, flexible snouts, which they use to grab leaves, fruit, and other vegetation. Baby tapirs, known as calves, are born with beautiful white spots and stripes covering their dark brown bodies. These markings act as natural camouflage, helping them blend into the forest floor a