Prehensile Snout - The tapir’s upper lip and nose are elongated to form a distinctive prehensile snout that is similar to a stubby elephant’s trunk. This flexible extended nose is used for plucking leaves and shoots from trees as well as sniffing their way along forest trails.
Black White Black - Malayan tapirs are sometimes called “Oreo” tapirs because of their distinctive black and white color pattern resembles an Oreo cookie. The black on the front and back with white or gray in the middle is a form of camouflage that breaks up the tapir’s outline in the shadows of the forest. The stripes and spots on the vulnerable babies help them blend into the dappled sunlight and leaf shadows of the forest and protects them from predators.
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