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

1.7M views · 649 shares | After escaping a conservation center, this tapir needed a lot of help from humans when it got trapped in a pond. | National Geographic | Facebook

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.