Blog Topic #8

It's a hippo...it's an anteater...no...it's a Tapir.


I chose this video because it was ironic to me and I love animals. I was at the zoo last year and I saw an animal in the rainforest exhibit. I had no idea what it was. It looked like a cow/hippo/anteater/rhino. I read the sign and found out that this strange creature was called a Tapir. The title of this video describes this animal in the same exact way that I did. I don't know much about the Tapir or where it came from so I decided this video would educate me on the species. The video goes through eigth interesting facts about Tapirs.
1. Tapirs have been around for a very long time.
2. The Tapir is the official national animal of Belize.
3. In Belize, it is called the "Mountain Cow", but it's related to the horse and rhino.
4. Tapirs have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot.
5. Tapirs have a rubbery, flexible nose that they use to eat with.
6. The Tapir weighs up to 700 pounds.
7. They are facing extinction due to a shrinking habitat caused by humans.
8. Tapirs are named after the naturalist who found their skeleton and studied it.
This isn't the most shocking or interesting video but it interested me. It is not about a current event or the latest news. It is something different, which is why I chose it and most people have probably never heard of this animal. This is the reason I love National Geographic. It provides us all with new and interesting information about even the strangest things, like the Tapir.