With spots and stripes to stay hidden in the bamboo and reeds, a baby tapir looks a lot like a watermelon when it's born. We'll watch our #SeattleWatermelon grow together.
WELCOME
TAPIR BABY T
he #SeattleWatermelon has arrived. On June 10 at approximately 9:30 p.m., our Malayan tapir mama, Ulan, gave birth to her first baby, a girl, with father Bintang. We are in love. The average weight for calves at birth is 22 pounds, and Ulan's baby was 18 pounds. Calves are born with their eyes open and can stand within one or two hours after birth— and as you can see from these photos—baby tapirs hit their adorable watermelon benchmark right away!
Click image to see adorable footage of the new mom and baby!
We are so excited to watch the tapir calf explore her yard, which we did our best to tapir baby-proof! We can’t wait to share her (and all her watermelon-like spots and stripes) with our community this summer.
Visit zoo.org/tapir to keep up to date on the baby’s milestones, and check out our tapir activity packets and extra special #SeattleWatermelon downloads. Calling all artists! The #SeattleWatermelon summer coloring contest starts now! See page 28
TAPIR TRIVIA How much do you really know about tapirs? Click the button to test your knowledge with Tapir Trivia! 20 MYZOO Member Magazine | Summer 2020 | zoo.org
