The tapir’s nose and upper lip combine into a flexible snout like an
elephant’s trunk. It can be used as a snorkel when the animal is
underwater and as an effective tool to detect odors wafting through the
dense forest. This prehensile
mini-trunk (by elephant standards!) is used to grab branches and strip
off the leaves or to help pluck fruit and put it directly in the tapir’s
mouth. It also adds an air of mystery to the tapir—at first glance,
it’s hard to tell just what this creature is! (photo: Debbie Beals)
A carabid beetle from dry dense forests of Niaouli (West-Africa, Bénin Republic, July 1998, attracted to lights). Belongs in Scarites sp. (34mm long, Coleoptera, Carabidae).
