First ever Albino Tapir caught on camera

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/first-known-photo-of-albino-tapir-in-wild-is-taken/

First known photo of albino tapir in wild is taken

March 24, 2015 by David Strege

courtesy of National Geographic

According to local legend, an elusive, pure-white lowland tapir was said to be roaming Brazil’s Atlantic rain forest and Brazilian photographer Luciano Candisani was determined to capture an image of it. After all, nobody had ever taken a photo of an albino tapir in the wild, according to National Geographic.

Since the tapir is nocturnal, Candisani hung out at night in the Votorantim Reserve where the albino tapir was said to have visited and he waited. Several dark-colored lowland tapir passed by him but not the special one. Eventually he set up a camera trap. It’s unclear how many nights it took until he finally hit pay dirt.

“My heart skipped a beat when, while reviewing the photos from one night, the white tapir suddenly appeared in one of the frames,” Candisani told National Geographic.

The award-winning photographer had done it. He’d captured an albino tapir on camera. The photo was taken last May and first appeared in the Brazilian edition of National Geographic before National Geographic posted it three days ago. Candisani told National Geographic he felt lucky to have photographed such a rare and elusive animal.

“Rarity!” Candisani wrote in a Facebook post Monday. “It is the first record of an albino tapir in the wild in Brazil.”

Populations of the lowland tapir—a.k.a. tapirus terrestris—are in decline and the species is considered vulnerable, a step below threatened status by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The Tapir Specialist Group says that the dark-colored lowland tapir, while rare and elusive, can be locally common, such as around water sources.

The animal grows to the size of a small pony, is solitary and shy, grazes and forages at night on fruits, plants and other vegetation, and hides and rests during the day, making the albino tapir image that much more remarkable.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by JackPMiller.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by JackPMiller.