Nagasaki Bio Park has a brand new friend to share with the world: A baby Malayan tapir!

tapir 1

How can one creature be simultaneously this cute and this silly looking?

No question about it, baby animals are adorable. Even if their grown up bodies aren’t super delightful, you can count on the young’uns to bring elicit exclamations of “cute!” And that is one word the Nagasaki Bio Park will be hearing a lot now as they welcomed a baby Malayan tapir to their zoo on March 14 and he couldn’t be more of a heart melter.

(続)赤ちゃんは、マレー語で友情を意味する “persahabatan (プルサハバタン)” という言葉から「プルサ」と名づけました。バイオパークとマレーシアの人々が育んできた友情のように、大きく育ってほしいと願っています。 https://t.co/xfMgTawPed
—
長崎バイオパーク公式 (@ngsbiopark) March 23, 2016

The tapir’s parents both came to the zoo in December 2015, when the mom was already pregnant. The gestation period for a Malayan tapir is roughly 400 days and they almost always carry one baby. The white stripes and spots are characteristic of the newborns, allowing them to better blend in with their surroundings. They lose this coloring when they’re about six-months-old and gain markings similar to their parents.

(続)マレーバクの子どもは、黒地に白の斑点模様でうり坊のような見た目をしていますが、この模様は約半年ほどで消えてしまいます。マレーバクの一生のうちでうり坊模様の期間はこの半年足らずのみですので貴重な姿です。 https://t.co/QHE6uGSqYz
—
長崎バイオパーク公式 (@ngsbiopark) March 23, 2016

マレーバク赤ちゃん動画 -- Baby Malayan tapir http://ift.tt/1RIKwOz
—
長崎バイオパーク公式 (@ngsbiopark) March 23, 2016

This little baby has been given the name Persa, from the Malaysian word for friendship, persahabatan. The park wants him to grow big and healthy, representing the friendship between them and the Malaysian people.

With such a cutie available for viewing, now is definitely a good time to head to the Nagasaki Bio Park! Hurry and see him before his spots fade!

Source: Net Lab
Top Image: Twitter/@ngsbiopark