Three of the four species of tapir are endangered. The threats facing tapirs include hunting for meat and skin, fragmentation of habitat, and encroachment into protected areas by farmers and illegal logging.
To help raise awareness about these special herbivores, we have compiled a list of 15 cool facts about tapirs, including some great photos. Please enjoy the following images of these adorable creatures.
Tapir fact 1: There are four species of tapir.
- Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii); population: Fewer than 5,500; IUCN – Endangered.
- Lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris); no exact number, habitat decreasing; IUCN – Vulnerable
- Mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque); population: No more than 2,500; IUCN – Endangered
- Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus); population: No more than 2,000; IUCN – Endangered
Tapir fact 2: A group of tapirs is called a “candle.”
Pictured: Lowland tapirs.
Image source: flickr.com / CC BY 2.0
Tapir fact 3: Tapir calves are born with dappled markings; at about six months, they lose the markings and look like a miniature adult tapir.
Pictured: Malayan tapir calf.
Image source: flickr.com/thalamus/ / CC BY-ND 2.0
Tapir fact 4: The dappled markings of a tapir calf are excellent camouflage.
Pictured: Malayan tapir calf.
Image source: flickr.com / CC BY-ND 2.0
Tapir fact 5: The average lifespan of a tapir is 25 to 30 years.
Pictured: Malayan tapir.
Image source: flickr.com/dsifry/ / CC BY 2.0
Tapir fact 6: The tapir’s nose is prehensile and is used to grab leaves – and also as a snorkel while swimming.
Pictured: Baird’s tapir.
Image source: flickr.com/vonguard/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
Tapir fact 7: Tapirs have a long gestation period (13 months) and give birth to one calf per gestation.
Pictured: Baird’s tapir.
Image source: flickr.com/poplinre/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
Tapir fact 8: All tapir populations are in decline – a not-so-cool fact.
Pictured: Lowland tapir calf.
Image source: flickr.com/ CC BY-ND 2.0
Tapir fact 9: Their closest living relatives are horses and rhinos.
Pictured: Mountain tapir.
Image source: flickr.com/dsifry/ / CC BY 2.0
Tapir fact 10: Tapirs have four toes on their front feet, and three toes on their back feet.
Pictured: Malayan tapir.
Image source: flickr.com/zooeurope/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
Tapir fact 11: In 1998, a female tapir at the Oklahoma City Zoo bit off a zookeeper’s arm at the bicep. The tapir had a two-month-old calf in her enclosure.
Pictured: Lowland tapir.
Image source: flickr.com/pelican/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
Tapir fact 12: They are excellent swimmers and can even dive to feed on aquatic plants.
Pictured: Lowland tapirs.
Image source: flickr.com/frank-wouters/ / CC BY 2.0
Tapir fact 13: Scientists believe that tapirs have not changed very much over tens of millions of years.
Pictured: Lowland tapir.
Image source: flickr.com/denn/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
Tapir fact 14: New World tapirs live in Central and South America. The Baird’s and lowland tapirs live in the forests and grasslands, and the mountain tapir lives high in the Andes Mountains. The Malayan tapir is an Old World tapir and is found in Southeast Asia.
Pictured: Mountain tapir.
Image source: flickr.com / CC BY 2.0
Tapir fact 15: A hybrid tapir was reportedly born at the San Francisco Zoo around 1968 – a cross between a Baird’s Tapir and a lowland tapir.
Pictured: Lowland tapir.
To learn more about how you can help protect tapirs, please visit:
Tapir Specialist Group
Tapirback
Fact sources:
Tapir Specialist Group
Tapirback
National Geographic
nytimes.com
Image source:
flickr.com/ / CC BY-ND 2.0
