Channel Island tapir (SciiFii)

The Channel Island tapir (Nanotapirus insularis) is a species of tapir that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the Channel Islands off the coast of California to help boost biodiversity. The closest living relative of the Channel Island tapir is the California tapir (Tapirus californicus). The Channel Island tapir is one of the smallest of tapirs, with the average shoulder height of 36 centimeters (14.2 inches) and weighing about 50 kilograms (110 lbs). The Channel Island tapir is primarily dark gray, almost black in color with a pale brown face. Like many other tapirs, the Channel Island tapir has a short, retractable trunk used for gripping onto vegetation, however, unlike many tapirs, the Channel Island tapir is fully terrestrial, due to far less lakes and rivers on the Channel Islands, and instead mostly obtains the water from the plants it feeds on, including grasses, shrubs, leaves, fruits, roots, shoots, and tubers. The Channel Island tapir is a solitary animal like the majority of the tapir species, living primarily throughout its life alone except during the breeding seasons. The conservation status of the Channel Island tapir is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts.