Tapir fun fact time! ✨ Did you know their snout can move in all directions and isn't just for sniffing - it can also be used to pick up items such as food? ✨ They love to eat! Consuming up to 30kg of food per day. ✨And, they prefer to sink and walk along the bottom of rivers rather than swim? You can catch Semangka the Malayan Tapir getting the VIP treatment from her keepers on Thursday's episode of Mega Zoo! Don't miss it - 7:30pm on @channel9 | Zoos Victoria

Tapirs are gentle, plant-eating mammals that live in the forests and grasslands of Central and South America, as well as Southeast Asia. They are distant relatives of horses and rhinos and are easily recognized by their short, flexible snouts, which they use to grab leaves, fruit, and other vegetation. Baby tapirs, known as calves, are born with beautiful white spots and stripes covering their dark brown bodies. These markings act as natural camouflage, helping them blend into the forest floor a

The South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris), is the largest and heaviest land mammal in the Amazon rainforest, reaching up to 250 kilograms. With its flexible snout and herbivorous diet, it roams long distances feeding on leaves, shoots, and fruits, dispersing thousands of seeds that give life to new trees. Jaguars, caimans, and anacondas are among its main predators. When threatened, its instinct leads it to seek refuge in the water, where it reveals itself as a surprisingly skilled swimmer.