Skull of Baird's Tapir

This is actually a cast, and not the real skull of Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii). I took the photo at the Museum of Natural History in San Diego. I thought the exhibits there were excellent, and I wrote quite a bit about the museum experience on today's Animal Art Along the Way blog post.

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Baird's tapir skull photo courtesy of Nancy R. Koerner

Photo of Baird's tapir skull courtesy of

and copyright by Nancy R. Koerner

This photo of an adolescent Baird's tapir skull was loaned to us by Nancy R. Koerner for use on the Tapir Gallery Web site. Tapir skulls are always interesting. Note that this one may look very different from some Baird's tapir skulls because the bony nasal septum has disappeared, and only the hard bone is left. When looking at photos of the skulls of Baird's tapir, it would be easy to think there were two completely different animals. Here you can compare the skull above with one mounted in the Smithsonian which still has the septum intact. See a larger image of the skull and read about how Nancy acquired it on the skull's page in The Tapir Gallery. It can also be viewed in our Picasa Web Album of Baird's tapir natural history photos.

Nancy is the author if Belize Survivor: Darker Side of Paradise. It is a fascinating book with an important message for our times.