: any of a genus (Tapirus) of herbivorous chiefly nocturnal perissodactyl mammals of tropical America and southeastern Asia from Myanmar to Sumatra that have a heavy sparsely hairy body and the snout and upper lip prolonged into a short flexible proboscis
Illustration of tapir
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe vets work together to design a custom show for a three-toed Baird’s tapir; African penguins welcome chicks; the youngest elephant discovers her trunk; an Andean bear readies itself for mating season. Olivia Mccormack, Washington Post, 6 July 2022 Herpetologists described the tapir frog after following its beep-beep-beep call through the jungles of the Putumayo Basin at night. Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper’s Magazine , 27 Apr. 2022 Lingering just out of sight will be Baird’s tapir, an animal that’s related to rhinoceros and sports a proboscis similar to that of an elephant.San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2022 His room morphs into a rainforest filled with coatimundis, capybaras, a jaguar, and tapir, plus hummingbirds and toucans (including Pico). Christopher Baker, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2022 In this biodiverse national park, home to some of Central America's only remaining old-growth wet forests, wildlife sightings can include the Baird's tapir, jaguars, sloths, and macaws. Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 14 Dec. 2021 Telling the uplifting story of a feisty young woman fighting for her homeland in the Amazon rainforest, abetted by Dillo, an armadillo, and Vaca, an oversized tapir, this is a highly theatrical proposition. John Hopewell, Variety, 30 Nov. 2021 Based on the size of the skull, the rhino had a long thick neck, a deeper nasal cavity, and a short trunk similar to that of a modern-day tapir, reports the BBC. Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2021 Meanwhile, 20 other zoos have joined the hashtag herd, with #ZooGlamourShots that include Lola the baby chimpanzee from the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore and Baku the tapir from Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Wash. René A. Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Apr. 2021 See More