Q Does the tapir belong to the same family
as zebras and rhinos?
A Although it looks a lot like a pig, the
tapir is in fact closely related to zebras and
rhinos. This animal has a short, muscular
trunk and is about 1 metre (3.2 feet) tall.
It has splayed hooves, which help it to get
a firm grip on soft, muddy ground.
Odd-toed Mammals
Some mammals have an odd number of toes or hooves. This
group includes animals like horses, zebras, rhinoceros and
tapirs. Horses, zebras and donkeys have only one toe in each
foot, which is in the form of a hoof. A rhinoceros has three toes.
Tapirs have four toes in their front feet, three in their hind feet.
The Living Planet
Q How can you tell the different types of
zebra apart?
A There are three main kinds of zebra –
the plains, mountain and Grevy’s zebra. The
plains zebra, found in the African grasslands,
is the most common of all three species. It is
striped all over and its stripes are wider than
those of the other two species. Mountain
zebras are native to the mountainous regions
of southwest Africa. They have a white belly.
Grevy’s zebra is the largest of the zebra
species. It has a mane that stands up straight,
large ears and narrow, closely set stripes that
extend all the way down to its hooves.
Q How many species of rhinoceros are there?
A There are five species of rhinoceros in
the world today. They are the Sumatran,
Javan, Indian, white and black rhinoceros.
The white and black rhinoceros are found in
Africa, while the others live in Asia. All rhinos
have thick skin with folds. They have short,
thick legs and a tiny tail. They are solitary
animals that come together only during the
mating season.
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Quick Q’s:
1. Where did the horse
come from?
The earliest ancestor of
the horse lived in
North America about
55 million years ago.
It was the size of
a small dog, and did
not look anything like
today’s horse. But its
teeth were like any
horse we know today.
This animal went
through many changes
over millions of years
before the modern
horse evolved.
2. Where are tapirs
found?
There are five species
of tapirs in the world.
Three of these are
found in the
rainforests of South
America, while the
other two inhabit parts
of southeast Asia and
Iran. All tapirs prefer
water to land and
spend a great deal of
time in lakes and
streams.
Mother and child
Baby tapirs are various
shades of pink and have
prominent stripes. Their
colour changes to grey
and white and the stripes
fade as they grow older.
Under threat
Indian rhinos have one horn, while African rhinos have
two. The horns are supposed to have healing properties
and are used in various forms of traditional medicine.
As a result, rhinos have been hunted and now their
numbers have grown alarmingly small. There are so few
Javan and Sumatran rhinos left that the species is under
threat of extinction.
Staying in a herd
Plains zebras are among
the most common animals
seen in the African
savannah. They usually
do not go very far
from watering holes.
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