What do tapirs live in

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By Jaymi Heimbuch Jaymi Heimbuch. Jaymi Heimbuch is a writer and photographer specializing in wildlife conservation. Learn about our editorial process. Updated October 21, Share Twitter Pinterest Email. Save the Tapir Support conservation groups working to preserve habitats for tapirs and protect the animals from poaching. Help raise awareness about the effects of deforestation on tapirs, and about the importance of understanding the origins of the food and products we buy, so we can avoid any linked to the destruction of rainforests where tapirs live.

Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Treehugger. Indeed, tapirs are a bit of a hodge-podge. They are about the size of a donkey. They have round bodies, short legs and stubby tails, sort of like a hippo. Their eyes and ears are small. They have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot, according to the San Diego Zoo. Their most distinctive feature is their snout. It is flexible like an elephant's trunk.

Tapirs can grab things with their trunks, somewhat like an elephant. They use them to pluck leaves and fruit out of trees, according to National Geographic , and then place these goodies in their mouths. And, according to the San Diego Zoo, when threatened, tapirs will submerge themselves in a river and use their snouts like a snorkel. There are five species of tapir, and they are all relatively similar in size.

They range from 29 to 42 inches 74 to centimeters from foot to shoulder and weigh a hefty to lbs. A pig? An anteater? The four types of tapir are most closely related to horses and rhinos, since they have an odd number of toes four toes on each front foot, three on each back foot.

Their eyes and ears are small, and the body is teardrop shaped: tapered in the front and wider at the rear, designed to walk through thick vegetation. Male tapirs are slightly smaller than females. The tapir's nose and upper lip combine into a flexible snout like an elephant's trunk. It can be used as a snorkel when the tapir is underwater and as an effective tool to detect odors wafting through the dense forest.

This prehensile mini-trunk by elephant standards! As key wildlife in shaping and maintaining the biological diversity of tropical forests, tapirs are vital components in their ecosystems.

They are masters at dispersing seeds and leaving them well fertilized, providing themselves and other wildlife with an ongoing supply of food and shelter. A recent study of lowland tapirs in Peru revealed different seeds in their dung! Tapirs are important recyclers of nutrients, helping the soil and landscape thrive. They also serve as biological indicators of the health and vitality of an area: tapirs are the first to decline when there is human disturbance because of their large size, slow reproductive rate, and sensitivity to their environment.

There are five types of tapirs:. Baird's or Central American tapir Tapirus bairdii : Native to Mexico and Central America, its coat is dark red-brown to black as an adult, with a white chest and chin and white ear fringes.

Lowland or Brazilian tapir Tapirus terrestris : Native to South America from Colombia to Paraguay and Brazil, its coat is dark on the back and lighter on the underside. It prefers living where it's warm, rainy, and humid. Crocodilians as well as jaguars are its natural predators. Mountain or woolly Tapirus pinchaque : Living in the Andes Mountains of northern South America, it has a longer, thick coat and undercoat to keep warm in its cold mountain home.

It is one of the most endangered mammals in the world. It has a distinctive coat pattern: black in the front and white in the back. As they roam and defecate they deposit the seeds they have consumed and promote future plant growth. Though they appear densely built, tapirs are at home in the water and often submerge to cool off. They are excellent swimmers and can even dive to feed on aquatic plants.

They also wallow in mud, perhaps to remove pesky ticks from their thick hides. New World tapirs generally live in the forests and grasslands of Central and South America.

A notable exception is the mountain or woolly tapir, which lives high in the Andes Mountains. Woolly tapirs, named for their warm and protective coat, are the smallest of all tapirs. The world's biggest tapir is found in the Old World—Southeast Asia. The black-and-white Malay tapir can grow to pounds. It inhabits the forests and swamps of Malaysia and Sumatra. All rights reserved. Common Name: Tapirs. Scientific Name: Tapiridae. Type: Mammals.