Giant tapir (SciiFii)

The giant tapir (Tapirus augustus or Acrocodia augustus) is a species of tapir that originally lived in southern China, with reports also suggesting it also lived in Java and Vietnam, during the Early Pleistocene and possibly the early Holocene, and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and reintroduced to Vietnam, Java, and southern China to help boost biodiversity. It is larger on average than most tapirs, ranging from 2.1 metres (6.9 ft) long and 0.9 metres (3.0 ft) tall at the shoulders to 3.5 metres (11 ft) long, and 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) metres tall at the shoulders. It usually weighs on average of up to around 500 kilograms (1,100 lb). The giant tapir is a herbivore like all "natural" tapirs, feeding primarily for the tender shoots and leaves of more than 175 species of plants (around 50 are particularly preferred), moving slowly through the forests. The gestation period of the giant tapir is about 390–395 days, after which a single offspring, weighing around 17 pounds (7.7 kg), is born. Giant tapirs are primarily solitary creatures, marking out large tracts of land as their territory, though these areas usually overlap with those of other individuals. Giant tapirs mark out their territories by spraying urine on plants, and they often follow distinct paths, which they have bulldozed through the undergrowth. Giant tapirs communicate with high-pitched squeaks and whistles. They usually prefer to live near water and often bathe and swim, and they are also able to climb steep slopes. Giant tapirs, like many other tapirs, are mainly active at night, though they are not exclusively nocturnal. They tend to eat soon after sunset or before sunrise, and they will often nap in the middle of the night. This behavior characterizes them as crepuscular animals. The conservation status of the giant tapir is Vulnerable due to some habitat loss and, historically, poaching, however, thanks to the conservationists, the giant tapirs are a protected species and are slowly making a comeback.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii