Eastern Tapir

The Eastern Tapir is a species of tapir that is native to much of eastern North America, but was introduced to California in 2007. For a long time, people once thought that a North American tapir was the only species of tapir native to North America, and they once thought that the Eastern tapir was a subspecies of North American tapir, but recent genetics in 1987 confirmed that the eastern tapir is a completely different species from the more common North American tapir. Eastern tapirs are herbivores that feed on grass, horsetails, ferns, cycads, roots, tubers, flowers, leaves, and fruits. They are also known for their light brown fur with dark brown spots and manes. Like almost every species have tapir, they are known for their short elephant-like trunks used for reaching food sources. They are about the size of a Baird's tapir but are almost as adaptable to life in a city as the Urban North American tapir (a subspecies of North American tapir that has learned to adapt to city life) and are just as docile and gentle.