HOUSTON – A male Baird's tapir was born on Feb. 4. It's the first Baird's tapir born at the Houston Zoo, and the first baby for mother Moli and father Noah.
Baird's tapirs are born with a colorful pattern of stripes and spots that will disappear as they grow older.
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The newborn weighs 24.5 pounds When he's fully grown, zoo experts expect that he could weigh more than 550 pounds.
The Baird's tapir doesn't have a name yet but the keepers who care for the tapir family will have the honor of naming him.
There are four species of tapir, three South America and one in Malaysia. Tapirs are the largest land mammal and live in marshes and swamps from Mexico to western Brazil and Ecuador.
The Baird's tapirs at the Houston Zoo are ambassadors for their wild counterparts in South America.