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 Description:
Head and body length: 1.8 to 2.5 m (5 to 6.5 ft.); tail: 5
to 10 cm (2 to 4 in.); height at shoulder: 73 to 103 cm (28.75
to 40.5 in.); weight: 225 to 400 kg (495 to 880 lbs.); general
form: rounded at back and tapering at front. Skull is relatively
short and the profile is convex. Eyes are small and flush with
the head. Ears are oval, erect and not very mobile. The snout
and upper lip are projected into a short fleshy proboscis - nostrils
located at the end. Legs are rather short and slender. Forefoot
has four main digits and the smaller one is functional only on
soft ground. Hind foot has three digits. Color: front half of
body and rear legs are blackish, mid-section is white; young are
dark with yellow and white stripes and spots. This pattern disappears
at 6 to 8 months.
Range and Habitat: Sumatra northward through the Malay
Peninsula to the borders of Myanmar and Thailand. Altitudinal
range from sea level to 4500 meters (12,000 ft.). May live in
nearly any wooded or grassy habitat where there is a permanent
supply of water.
Habits and Adaptations: Generally live alone or in pairs.
Are mainly nocturnal and spend much of the day in sleep. General
form is well suited for rapid movement through thick underbrush.
Agile in open or closed terrain and in or under water. Fond of
splashing in water and wallowing in mud. Posses keen powers of
hearing and scent. Generally shy and docile and will seek refuge
in water or crash off into the bush when threatened.
Diet: Eats aquatic vegetation and the leaves, buds, twigs
and fruits of low growing terrestrial plants.
Breeding and Maturation: Breeding apparently takes place
any time of the year. Gestation is 390 to 400 days. Number of
young is one, rarely two. Life span is around 30 years.
Miscellaneous: Main enemy in the wild is the tiger. The
decline of the population is due mainly to the clearing of forests
by humans for agricultural purposes.
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