Tapirs are mammals which are often confused with hippos, anteaters and capybaras. Their closest living relatives are odd-toed ungulates (hoofed animals), horses and rhinos.

There are four living species of tapir:
Baird's tapir
Lowland tapir
Mountain tapir
Malayan tapir

See also our Tapir FAQ

Tapir Characterististics
A unique feature that tapir posess is its fleshy prehensile nose that it uses to grab leaves and even use as a snorkle while swimming. Their hides are very tough but streamlined for easy maneuvering in the forest. Tapirs are "seed dispersers." They eat seeds that are then dispersed in their scat which helps the forest to regenerate.

Tapirs are herbivores best suited to primary or old growth secondary forest, and their reproduction is slower than most mammal species due to a long gestation period (13 months) and to the fact that there is only one offspring per gestation.

Tapir Habitat Range
Note that ranges are an illustrated approximation. True tapir populations exist in habitat fragments across the indicated range for each species. Maps by Carlos Pedraza, TSG, 2008. Click to see a larger version of the map.

Tapir Population Status
Tapirs are becoming rare in their occurrence areas--the forests of Central and South America, and Southeast Asia--mostly due to habitat destruction and poaching. The IUCN Red Book lists the four species of tapirs (Tapirus bairdii, T. terrestris, T. pinchaque and T. indicus) as either vulnerable or endangered. The Mountain tapir, T. pinchaque, is one of the most endangered large mammals in the world. The Baird’s tapir, T. bairdii, is the largest land mammal in the Neotropics and also endangered. The Malayan tapir, T. indicus, is the only Old World extant species and is also endangered in Sumatra and mainland Malayansia. Our 2004 Red List document (Word document, 172Kb) outlines the current estimated status and distribution of each species of tapir.

Baird's Tapir, captive. Photo by Brent Huffman, UltimateUngulate.com ENDANGERED	Lowland Tapir, wild, Brazil. Photo by Richard Bodmer VULNERABLE

Mountain Tapir, captive, Colorado. Photo by Sheryl Todd, TPF & Tapirback.com ENDANGERED	Malayan Tapir, captive, Seattle. Photo by Gilia Angell VULNERABLE

Threats to Tapirs

• Hunting pressure on tapirs throughout their ranges
• Habitat fragmentation resulting in reduced genetic diversity and home range
• Encroachment into protected park areas by subsistance farmers and illegal logging

Tapirs and Their Connection to the Ecosystem
Tapirs play a critical role in shaping and maintaining the biological diversity of tropical forests and function as biological indicators of area requirements for the ecosystem. The tapir is one of the first species in its habitat to be adversely affected by human disturbance because of their size, and sensitivity to changes in their habitat range. Local extinction or population decrease may trigger adverse effects in the forest, causing disruptions of some key ecological processes (e.g. seed predation and dispersal, nutrient recycling), and eventually compromising the long-term integrity and biodiversity of the ecosystem. These factors, added to the destruction of tapir habitat in recent years, justify the urgency for investigation of the status of the populations, and development and implementation of conservation and management plans.

Tapir Specialist Group advocates on behalf of tapirs and works to conserve their habitat and genetic diversity through research projects on tapirs, high standards of zoo husbandry, and networking with government bodies, conservation organizations, universities and zoos to create greater tapir awareness and conservation planning.

More about tapirs:
TSG's Tapir FAQ
Wikipedia
San Diego Zoo's Tapir page

Illustration generously provided by Stephan Nash, Conservation International