In the wee hours of New Year’s Day, the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa welcomed a new baby Malayan tapir.  The female calf is healthy, weighing about 15 pounds (and gaining).

Baby tapirs have a spotted pattern to help camouflage them from predators. Eventually, the baby’s spotted coat will fade to a solid black and white pattern. In the wild, Malayan tapirs are endangered, inhabiting the rainforests of Southeast Asia.  Their population is threatened by human activity like deforestation and illegal trade.

For more information, see:
WTSP.com
Lowry Park Zoo Facebook page

Tembikai, meaning watermelon, was born on January 29th of this year.  He weighed 13 lbs at birth and is now up to 30 lbs. He is a Malaya tapir which is an endangered species.

Read about the Malaya tapir’s relative the Brazilian tapir at Animal Fact Guide.