After all that talk of tapirs biting people's arms off and killing Brazilian farmers, it only seems appropriate to post these pictures, taken at Bristol Zoo on Sunday (a group of us went there after SVP). The keeper obviously has a great relationship with Denzil, the male Brazilian (or Lowland) tapir Tapirus terrestris on the right (the female, on the left, is called Tamang)...
As for Meller's duck Anas melleri - a species you'll now be very familiar with - I find that they do not hesitate to attack humans, should the opportunity arise...
Still working hard to catch up after SVP, still have yet to succeed...
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If you said that the mystery duck from yesterday was a mallard, a weird mallard hybrid, a shoveler of some sort, or blah blah blah, then shame shame shame on you: you are a loser. If, however, you said it was a Meller's duck Anas melleri, then well done, you are some kind of freakin' duck genius,…
Dave Hone (of Archosaur Musings) kindly provided the following photo, taken in Seoul Zoo. It features a South tropical American tapir - but which one? Test your skills...
I love tapirs. But they're not always nice. In 1998 a Malayan tapir Tapirus indicus at Oklahoma Zoo bit a keeper's arm clean…
Arguably the most exciting concept in the entire field of zoology is the thought that new large terrestrial tetrapod species await discovery. And despite statements from journalists and scientists, history demonstrates that the continued discovery of such animals is not an extraordinary or…
The recent article about Meller's duck Anas melleri inspired me to recycle my ver 1 article about another of Madagascar's endemic ducks, the Madagascar pochard Aythya innotata [male shown below]. Meller's duck is endangered, with a global population of between 3000 and 5000, but the Madagascar…
A link that should shed some light on the situation: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MorallyAmbiguousDucktorate
Oh what a good zoo that is... I went there on the Tuesday before SVP, lots of neat stuff. Did you see the baby Pudu puda? And Euphractes sexcinctus?
This is a nonsense. Darren Naish claims that a Meller's Duck, when it is obvious that creature biting his finger is a derived pseudosuchian thecodont from the planet Zonk. Me I regret this man, for he is out of informations. HE CANNOT HIDE TRUTHS
Peter Mihalduh
I'm always impressed by tapirs. How can something manage to be so ugly and so adorable at the same time?!?
What can I say, it's a gift.
@Peter Mihalduh: One of Kirk Cameron's crocoducks, perhaps?
I remember a a scene from one of the many "zoo-soaps", which became quite popular during the last years in german TV (and which are actually among the very very rare good new things which gained popularity in TV...), where a zookeeper worked with tapirs. I don´t remember anymore at which zoo it was and what species it was, but I think it was one of the south american species. The tapirs were actually quite peacefull and acted nearly like pets, and there was no doubt they especially enjoyed it to be brushed. It is really hard to believe that such an animal can literally torn humans to pieces, and they are hardly among the most dangerous animals in zoos where direct contact is always avoided as one commentor claimed. On the other hand it can be also interesting how even "peaceful" animals can turn from one second to the other aggressive, especially when I remember a somewhat strange encounter with sheep at Denmark some weeks ago.
Im surprised that the malayan tapir so rarely finds it's way into any zoo's, oh and Darren have you been watching last chance to see?
Who can that be, popping a finger through the cage bars?
Is it young Albert, surving his encounter with a zoo lion?
ref: Poem: Albert and the Lion
Is Tamang pregnant?
Tamang has had several succesful calves, which are now at other collections. Unfortunately she lost last years calf, but pregnancy for tapirs is around 13 months so she is about due. I am not sure why, but Malaysan tapirs in particular have a reputation for being agressive -possibly a million years of being hunted by hominids as opposed to a few thousand for the South American species is the cause. Most of the tapirs you will see in Europe are Lowland Tapirs, with some Malayan Tapirs - I believe there are some Baird's tapirs in Germany but the only Mountain Tapirs outside South America are in the US
There is a malayan tapir at the zoo of Stuttgart and a Baird tapir at one of the two zoos of Berlin. But all the other tapirs I have seen where (as far as I know) lowland tapirs.
Alan - I have a strong feeling I spoke to you on Sunday but didn't realise until afterwards. This was near the Mongoose lemurs, while both were huddled together and resting on a branch over the path.
Talking of TV tropes:
Somewhere A Palaeontologist Is Crying:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SomewhereAPalaeontologistIsC…
More Meller's duck. For the love of all that is holy, keep posting more about the Meller's duck.
My question to you is: are you serious?
This post contains tapirs! It is an instant-win!
hello am day a speech on tapir they are such cute animals
The Toronto Zoo has a tapir. It looks a lot bigger than that in my memory. The zoo considers it dangerous; its viewing area is in a pit with water next to the wall and a heavy glass shield over the water. The job of tapir-keeper is risky: I have heard from zoo personnel that about one a year is killed by tapirs.
Mind you, risks are relative: my father-in-law pointed out that in his natal farm county in rural Ontario, back when bulls were kept for siring (before the development of frozen sperm and artificial insemination), about one farmer a year would be killed by a bull.