Malay common name: Tenuk
English common name: Malayan Tapir
Scientific name: Tapirus indicus
rank: Endangered
Photo Source: IUCN Red List
If you look very carefully, you might see me foraging in the forest. My black and white fur helps me hide by blending in with my surroundings. Since I only eat plants, I’m a herbivore. My favorite foods include the young leaves, buds, shoots, and bark of shrubs and sapling trees that grow in the understory of my forest home. I also like to munch on grasses, tubers, aquatic plants, and fruit when I can find them. When I eat seeds, oftentimes I don’t fully digest them. The seeds later come out whole in my nutrient-rich dung and then grow into healthy plants. Since I walk long distances as I eat, I spread the seeds far and wide and this is my way of giving back to the forest.
I also like to hang out in wetlands and marshy areas. These places have plenty of water and mud for me to play and wallow in. Spending time in the water and mud helps me cool off and escape from bugs that want to bite me. You can come try to spot me in places like the Malayan Tapir Conservation Centre in Sungai Dusun Wildlife Reserve, Selangor; Taman Negara National Park; and Krau Wildlife Reserve in Pahang. In Indonesia, we can be found in Batang Gadis National Park and Kerinci Sebelat National Park.