Tapir

Tapirs are large herbivores that belong to the family Tapiridae. They look a bit like pigs, but they have a short, flexible nose trunk, also called a proboscis, which they use to grasp food. These interesting animals live in the jungles and forests of South and Central America and Southeast Asia.

Tapirs are part of a group of animals known as Perissodactyla, which includes equines and rhinoceroses. Today, only one genus of tapir exists, called Tapirus. In the past, tapirs lived in North America too, but they disappeared from there about 12,000 years ago. They moved into South America during a time when a land bridge formed between North and South America.

Etymology

The word tapir comes from Portuguese words tapir and tapira. These words are from an old language called Old Tupi. In Old Tupi, the word was tapi'ira, and it meant a type of tapir called Tapirus terrestris.

Species

See also: List of perissodactyls § Tapiridae

There are four main species of tapir. They all belong to the genus Tapirus. These are the South American tapir, the Malayan tapir, Baird's tapir, and the mountain tapir.

The four species are Endangered or Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Tapirs are related to other odd-toed ungulates like horses, wild asses, zebras, and rhinoceroses.

General appearance

Tapirs are large animals. They are usually about 2 meters (6 and a half feet) long and weigh between 150 and 300 kilograms (330 and 660 pounds). Their fur is short and can be reddish brown, grey, or nearly black. One type, the Malayan tapir, has a special white mark on its back.

All tapirs have small, oval ears with white tips and short tails. Their feet have hooves and special toes that help them walk on soft, muddy ground. Baby tapirs are born with striped and spotted coats to help them hide.

Physical characteristics

Tapirs have brown eyes that sometimes look bluish, especially in Malayan tapirs. This is because of a cloudy condition in their eyes. Tapirs can hear well and have a strong sense of smell to help them.

Tapirs have simple stomachs and can digest food well with a special part of their digestive system.

Proboscis

The tapir’s nose, called a proboscis, is very flexible and helps them reach leaves and branches. Tapirs sometimes lift their noses to catch scents in the air. The size of the proboscis changes among tapir species; Malayan tapirs have the longest noses, while Brazilian tapirs have the shortest. The tapir’s nose is made of soft tissue, not bone, which gives their skulls a unique shape.

Dentition

Tapirs have simple, low-crowned teeth without a special hard covering. They have between 42 to 44 teeth, like horses but a bit different from animals like rhinoceroses. Their front teeth are shaped like chisels, and they have special ridges on their chewing teeth for grinding food.

Life cycle

Young tapirs grow up and can have babies when they are three to five years old. Girls grow up a little faster than boys. If they have good food and a safe place to live, a mother tapir can have a baby every two years. After about 13 months, she gives birth to one baby, called a calf. Tapirs can live for about 25 to 30 years, whether they are in the jungle or in zoos. Most of the time, tapirs live alone, except when a mother is with her baby.

Behaviour

Tapirs like to spend time in water, especially near rivers. They use water to stay cool, find food, and rest safely away from animals that might want to hurt them. When they are near water, tapirs like to swim and even walk along the riverbed to look for food.

In the wild, tapirs eat fruits, berries, and leaves, especially young and soft plants. They spend a lot of time searching for food, using their noses to sniff the ground.

Most tapirs are more active at night or during dawn and dusk, but the smaller mountain tapirs that live in the Andes are often seen during the day. They do not see very well out of one eye alone.

Habitat, predation, and vulnerability

Adult tapirs are large and have few natural enemies. Their thick skin helps protect them from animals like jaguars, crocodiles, anacondas, and tigers. Even though they look slow, tapirs can run quickly when needed and hide in forests or water.

People hunting tapirs for meat and their hides has greatly reduced their numbers. Losing their homes because of human activities is also a big problem. All four types of tapirs are watched closely to help protect them. The Brazilian tapir is considered vulnerable, while Baird's tapir, the mountain tapir, and the Malayan tapir are endangered. A study showed that the lowland tapir in the Atlantic Forest could disappear because of human actions like hunting and deforestation.

Evolution and natural history

Tapirs came from a group of early animals called the "tapiroids". They lived in North America and Asia during a time called the Eocene. The first known tapirs appeared in Europe during a time called the Early Oligocene. Later, during the Mid-Miocene, tapirs spread to Asia and North America. The last tapir species in Europe, called Tapirus arvernensis, went away about 2.6 million years ago during the Pliocene. Tapirs reached South America during a time called the Pleistocene. Their oldest fossils there are from between 2.6 and 1 million years ago.

Genetics

Tapirs have different numbers of chromosomes in their cells. The Malayan tapir has fewer chromosomes and is different from the American tapirs.

There is concern about tapir populations because they have less genetic diversity. Habitat loss has separated small groups of wild tapirs, which can make it hard for them to survive. Even in zoos, genetic diversity is limited. For example, all captive mountain tapirs come from just two original individuals.

Hybrids of Baird's and the South American tapirs were bred at the San Francisco Zoo around 1969.

Conservation

Projects around the world work to protect tapirs. The Tapir Specialist Group, part of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, helps save tapirs and their homes in Central and South America and Southeast Asia.

One important project in Costa Rica began in 1994. It studies tapirs in Corcovado National Park by using special collars to learn about their lives and favorite places. Another group, started by Patrícia Medici, focuses on protecting tapirs in Brazil.

Attacks on humans

Tapirs are usually very shy, but they can defend themselves if they feel scared. They have strong jaws and can bite hard. These events are rare, but there have been a few times when tapirs have hurt people.

For example, a zookeeper in Oklahoma City was hurt when a tapir became agitated. In another case, a man in Corcovado National Park was bitten by a wild tapir. There was also an incident at Dublin Zoo where a young child was bitten.

Despite these incidents, tapirs usually try to run away or hide in water rather than fight.

Frank Buck wrote about a tapir attack in his book, Bring 'Em Back Alive.

Folklore

Tapirs are part of many stories and beliefs from different cultures. In Japan, they are connected to the Baku, a creature people think scares away bad dreams. In South America, tapirs are in tales about how the earth was created.