Tupi, a Baird's tapir, moved to the Reid Park Zoo from Miami last month. He loves to eat bananas, and he loves to swim.

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Tupi, a Baird's tapir, was born April 11, 2006, at the Miami Metrozoo. The zookeepers at Metrozoo named Tupi after the Tupis tribe from the Amazon. He moved to Reid Park Zoo just last month.

To help Tupi feel more at home at the Reid Park Zoo, Tupi's zookeepers in Miami sent a special DVD to Tucson to help the zookeepers here learn more about him. It included information like what his favorite food is — bananas!

Baird's tapir (pronounced tape-er) is named after American naturalist W.M. Baird, who first discovered this type of tapir. Although they may look like pigs, tapirs are related to horses and rhinoceroses because they have an odd number of toes on their hoofed back feet.

Baird's tapirs live in Central and South America in wooded or grassy areas near water — including in rainforests. A tapir's nose is prehensile, meaning it can use its nose as a finger to grab food and other items. Tapirs are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants. At Reid Park Zoo, Tupi eats fresh carrots, apples, yams and bananas, along with a special dry food made of alfalfa hay, vitamins and minerals.

Rebecca Lohse, one of Tupi's zookeepers, says: "Tupi is very curious; he is always using his nose to explore all the smells around him. He enjoys spending time in the water. If you are looking for him, look into the water; he likes to swim completely under water and will only come up when he needs to take a breath."

The next time you visit Reid Park Zoo, make sure you visit Tupi. The Baird's tapir exhibit is toward the back of the South American loop. You might find Tupi in the pond, as tapirs love water and are excellent swimmers.

● Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

● Directions: From East 22nd Street, between South Alvernon Way and South Country Club Road, turn north on South Randolph Way.

● Admission: $6 adults ages 15-61; $4 seniors 62 and over; $2 children ages 2-14; free for children under 2 and for members.

● Information: 791-4022.

● Online: www.tucsonzoo.org.