NEW SNOUT TO TOUT; RARE IN CAPTIVITY, TAPIR GIVES BIRTH AT LOS ANGELES ZOO.Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services Los Angeles Zoo The Los Angeles Zoo founded in 1966, is a large zoo located in Los Angeles, California, USA. The Zoo, located in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, is home to 1,200 animals from around the world. officials announced Monday that a rare mountain tapir was born at the zoo, one of only eight of the swinelike animals residing in zoos worldwide. The female baby tapir, born Aug. 8 to 8-year-old Midori and 14-year-old Emmitt, is being cared for by her mother, on exhibit at the Griffith Park facility, said zoo spokeswoman Lora LaMarca. Considered a vulnerable species in the wild and resembling swine with long, flexible snouts, mountain tapirs live near water in grassy or wooded areas of the Andes in Colombia and Equador. A single baby is born after a gestation period of about 400 days. The youngsters have rounded, darkly colored bodies speckled speck·led adj. 1. Dotted or covered with speckles, especially flecked with small spots of contrasting color. 2. Of a mixed character; motley. Adj. 1. with lighter-colored stripes and spots, resembling a small watermelon watermelon, plant (Citrullus vulgaris) of the family Curcurbitaceae (gourd family) native to Africa and introduced to America by Africans transported as slaves. Watermelons are now extensively cultivated in the United States and are popular also in S Russia. with legs, LaMarca said. The stripes and spots disappear at about 8 months of age, she said, adding that adult tapirs weigh 500 to 600 pounds. Built close to the ground, a tapir's torpedo-shaped body is well suited for crashing rapidly through thick brush, which it does when startled star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. or trying to escape its main predator, the jaguar. A tapir's elongated e·lon·gate tr. & intr.v. e·lon·gat·ed, e·lon·gat·ing, e·lon·gates To make or grow longer. adj. or elongated 1. Made longer; extended. 2. Having more length than width; slender. snout snout the upper lip and the apex of the nose, especially of the pig. Called also rostrum. Has a specialized skin to survive the rigors of rooting, is supported by a separate bone (the os rostri), and also has a few sensory hairs. and upper lip ends with nostrils at the tip. Nocturnal, the hoofed animals keep their snouts to the ground, sniffing for and feeding on aquatic vegetation, leaves and fruits of low-growing plants. Four species of tapirs - which are related to horses, zebras and rhinoceroses - exist in the wild. All of them are either endangered or vulnerable due mainly to habitat destruction for agricultural purposes. Under the zoo's animal adoption program, someone who donates $10,000 will be allowed to name the baby tapir, officials said. Even if you don't Even If You Don't is a single released by the band Ween in 2000 on Mushroom Records. Formats Enhanced CD single Includes the quicktime video of "Even If You Don't" directed by Matt Stone & Trey Parker of "South Park". have $10,000, we'd be interested in hearing your ideas for baby tapir names. Make your suggestions to the e-mail address for the Daily News L.A. Life Section: lalifenewsaol.com. or fax the suggestions to (818) 713-3545 no later than Friday. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Midori, an 8-year-old Tapir, walks with her yet-to-be-named baby, which was born Friday at the Los Angeles Zoo. Myung J. Chun/Daily News |
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