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The Living Animals of the World 



Photo b« 3'oi'frd' ,Sn.'] 



MALATAX TAI'li:. 



The largest of iUl the t.ipird. Is easily distinguished from the Anievic;m tap 

 white on the middle of its hody. 



[Sottiiuj Hill. 

 i-s l>y tlie patch of 



wallowing in mud, partly, it 

 is believed, that they may 

 encase themselves with it as a 

 protection against the annoy- 

 ance of flies. They feed on 

 shoots of trees, bushes, leaves, 

 and fallen fruits, foraging 

 during the evening, and 

 possibly far into the night. 



Tapirs are hunted by the 

 natives for the sake of their 

 thick hides, which are cut into 

 thongs for reins and bridles. 

 The flesh also is esteemed 

 by some. There are three 

 methods of capture. In South 

 America the lasso is used 

 with occasional success. But 

 when not foiled by under- 

 growth, the hunter often loses 

 his victim by reason of the 

 violence and force of its rush, wliich snaps the thong. The Gauchos intercept it with dogs on 

 its way to the water, when it will tiglit furiously, and many dogs may be killed before its 

 dispatch is accomplished. Others imitate its peculiar, shrill call, and shoot it on its approach 

 in answer thereto. Captives are easily tamed, and may be seen walking about the streets in 

 many South American towns. They wander into the forest by day, returning in the evening 

 to be fed, and are said to display great affection. On account of their great strength, it has 

 been suggested that such captives should be used as beasts of burden. 



Except the Malayan Tapir, which is black and white, tapirs are black or dark brown in 

 colom-, and l)ut scantily clothed with hair ; but the young, it is interesting to note, are 

 spotted and striped with white or fawn-colour on a dark ground, a coloration recalling that of 

 the wild pig. 



There are five different species of tapir. Their geographical distribution is remarkable, 

 four species being South American, and one belonging to the JNIalayan region. But far back in 

 the world's history, as we know from fossils, tajjirs roamed over the warm and temperate regions 

 of Euroite, and their remains have been found in China and the United States. Thus the 

 intervening ga})S existing to-day have been made by the extinction of these intermediate species. 



By nature the tapir ajipears to be a harmless and inoffensive animal, flying even before the 

 smallest dog. (Jccasionally, ]iowe\'er, it displays great courage and ferocity, and this appears to 

 be especially the case with females deprived of their young. At such times they will charge 

 with great spirit, and knock down, trample on, and bite their victim after the fashion of 

 wild swine. 



Man alone excepted, the most deadly foe of the American TAriii is the jaguar, as is the 

 tiger of the JMalay species. The American tapir often gets rid of the jaguar by rushing at full 

 speed into the dense jungle, thus sweeping its assailant from its back, the jaguar's claws 

 finding but an insecure hold on its victim's thick hide. Tajiirs are often found bearing scars 

 all over the liack, witnessing the terrible nature of the wounds received at such times. 



Tliat the tapir is a comparatively unknown animal is partly accounted for by the fact that 

 it is lint little sought after by the big-game hunter — who finds more excitement in pursuit 

 of its larger relative the rhinoceros — and partly, perhaps, owing to its inhabiting regions 

 comparatively little visited by Europeans. Nevertheless, the tapir is an animal of quite peculiar 

 interest, having undergone but little change during long ages, whilst its ally the horse has 



