tapir

noun

ta·pir | \ˈtā-pər also ˈtā-ˌpir or tə-ˈpir

plural tapirs also tapir

Definition of tapir

: any of a genus (Tapirus) of herbivorous chiefly nocturnal perissodactyl mammals of tropical America and southeastern Asia from Myanmar to Sumatra that have a heavy sparsely hairy body and the snout and upper lip prolonged into a short flexible proboscis

Examples of tapir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Don’s characteristic watermelon spots and stripes camouflage young tapirs in their forest habitat in Mexico, Central America and Colombia. — Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "For the Fourth, bring out the (San Diego Zoo) babies!," 3 July 2018 Luna, a Baird’s tapir, had to wait 13 months for her new son to arrive on June 13. — Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "For the Fourth, bring out the (San Diego Zoo) babies!," 3 July 2018 These types of tapirs, native to Mexico, Central America and northwestern South America, are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. — Mary Forgione, latimes.com, "Cuteness alert! Where to find some of the newest zoo babies, from Scotland to Santa Barbara," 6 Apr. 2018 This area will feature jaguars, monkeys, giant river otters, capybaras, birds and tapirs. — Rebecca Hazen, Houston Chronicle, "$150 million campaign announced for Houston Zoo," 9 Apr. 2018 The study, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed the bones of a number of species found at Ceibal, including deer, opossums, turkeys, tapirs, wild cats and dogs. — Nell Lewis, CNN, "How the ancient Maya reared dogs for food," 23 Mar. 2018 Such big urban centers require lots of food, and the Mayans hunted deer, peccaries, and tapirs. — Michael Price, Science | AAAS, "Some dogs were royalty, others were dinner in ancient Mayan culture," 19 Mar. 2018 Many belong to extinct species, including mammoths, mastodons, enormous cats, short-faced bears, camels, tapirs, American lions, horses, javelinas and an odd, rhino-looking species belong to a family called Toxodontidae. — Brendan Gibbons, San Antonio Express-News, "Friesenhahn Cave just outside S.A. yielded treasure trove of Ice Age fossils," 17 Dec. 2017 Rabbits, tapirs, porcupines, pigs, and birds are among the fallen at the country’s northern zoo. — Carlos Jasso, National Geographic, "Animals Starving in Venezuela Zoos," 28 July 2016

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