The pattern begins to fade after a few months, and by 8 months, young tapirs assume their adult coat coloring. Young tapirs reach nearly adult size in 6 to 8 months, and begin to travel independently from their mothers at that time. Amazingly, its closest relatives are the horse and rhinoceros. Similar to their earliest hoofed ancestors, tapirs have four toes on the front feet and three toes on the hind feet. Toes are separated widely, with the middle toes larger than the others.
All toes have hooves, and each foot has a callous pad which supports some of the weight.
The front half of the tapir's body and hind legs is black, and the rear half above the legs is white. Lying down in the day, it resembles a large rock. While foraging at night, the tapir blends in with shadows and moonlight, making it difficult for nocturnal predators to detect its presence. Except for mothers with their young, tapirs are solitary animals. Tapirs have a highly developed sense of smell.