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How to fold an origami tapir

Fold a stout kite body and swing short legs down. Fold a strip up into a little ear, crimp the head down and crimp its tip down again into a short trunk.

You need: 1 dark grey square (15 cm or bigger), scissors and a white pen. Hard, 23 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Crease the middle. White side up, turned like a diamond, fold the top corner down to the bottom corner, crease and unfold.
  2. Kite. Fold the edges at the left point in on creases from the point to 7.5 cm above and below the middle crease. That end is the tapir's head and trunk.
  3. Narrow the other end. Fold the edges at the right point in on creases from the point to 8.3 cm above and below the middle crease. That end is the rump.
  4. Tummy corners. Fold the top and bottom corners in on creases 5.4 cm above and below the middle crease. They will be hidden inside.
  5. Fold in half. Fold the top half down onto the bottom half along the middle crease. The long fold on top is the back, the flat bottom is the tummy.
  6. Crease two strips. Fold the bottom edge up 1.1 cm and the top edge down 0.5 cm, all layers, and crease both hard. These strips give the legs and the ear.
  7. Open it. Unfold both strips again.
  8. Slit the legs. Cut along the strip crease from the front end in 2.1 cm, and from the back end in 2 cm.
  9. Free the ear. Cut along the top crease from the front end in 5.2 cm.
  10. Tuck the strip. Fold the slit strip up along its crease, the front layers up in front and the back layers up behind.
  11. Front legs. Swing the front strip down on slanted creases from its inner end, the front layers one way and the back ones behind, a little apart.
  12. Back legs. Swing the back strip down the same way, the front layers forward and the back ones behind.
  13. Feet. Snip the pointed tip off each leg straight across, so the feet are blunt.
  14. Ear up. Fold the free strip up behind on a slanted crease from the end of its cut, both layers together, so it stands up.
  15. Short ear. Fold the top of the strip down behind on a crease 1.3 cm above the back, so the ear is short and round-topped.
  16. Head: crease. Fold the head end over on an upright crease at the bottom of the ear, 6 cm from the tip. Leave the ear up.
  17. Head: crimp down. Fold it back on a crease slanting from the same top point, so the head hangs down.
  18. Trunk: crease. Fold the tip of the head over on a crease straight across it, 2 cm from the tip, all layers together.
  19. Trunk: crimp down. Fold it back on a crease slanting from the same top point, so the nose droops into a short trunk.
  20. Short body. Fold the whole tail end behind on an upright crease 2.5 cm behind the back legs, all layers together.
  21. Round the rump. Fold both back corners behind, 1.2 cm along each edge, so the rump is round.
  22. Pleat: fold over. Fold the back part over to the front on an upright crease through the body, all layers together.
  23. Pleat: fold back. Fold it back again on an upright crease 0.5 cm further forward. The body gets shorter and chunkier.

Snuffling through the forest!

Draw a small white eye on the head, just above the trunk.

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