Habits: The Brazilian tapir is active mainly at night in its forested or wooded environment. The tapir scents, or marks with urine, its well worn trails. It spends most of its time near water or swampy ground, splashing about or wallowing in the mud, which helps keep it cool. The Brazilian tapir is at home in the water and is a fast swimmer, able to dive and stay underwater for long periods of time. The Brazilian tapir is surprisingly agile for its size and bulk; it is able to scramble quickly up steep hillsides and riverbanks.

The tapir is not as fast on land, but its bulk and tough hide enable it to push its way quickly through thick undergrowth. When danger threatens, however, it will escape to water. If cornered and separated from water, the tapir will put up a serious fight, using its teeth as it charges its attacker. In the heat of the day, tapirs usually rest in the shade of dense undergrowth. The tapir uses water to cool off and to get rid of any parasites. When pursued by predators, the tapir heads for water, where it can stay submerged for several minutes. A tapir uses its trunk much as an elephant does.

Food and Feeding: The tapir is a browser, feeding on aquatic plants, twigs, foliage, fruit, and a variety of other vegetation. Its favorite food is young green shoots, but it will also graze on grass and cultivated crops, making it unpopular with farmers. The variety in the tapir’s diet helps it avoid accumulating dangerous levels of poisons that are present in rainforest plants. The tapir is a selective eater. It walks along with its snout close to the soil, turning its snout from side to side, stretching and withdrawing it to examine the ground. When it locates food, the tapir uses its trunk to pluck leaves and twigs and draw them into its mouth.

Breeding: Mating between tapirs occurs at any time of year, since the females come into season about every two months. The mating ritual is elaborate: the male chases the female before starting a mock fight featuring high pitched squeals. About 13 months after mating the female gives birth to a single young in a hiding place in the forest. Baby tapirs have yellow stripes or rows of spots on a dark brown background. This coloration camouflages them as they lie in the forest undergrowth. The markings fade when the young tapir is a few months old; within a year it has its adult coat. Baby tapirs become independent after about eight months.

Tapir and Man: Natives of the Brazilian jungle have long hunted the tapir as a source of meat and for its hide. Tapir flesh is considered a delicacy, and the hide produces excellent leather. It is also hunted because it occasionally raids crops and plantations. But the tapir is extremely shy and raids crops only in desperation. The future for the Brazilian tapir, which has survived for millions of years, is now uncertain because of the destruction of its habitat. As the tropical forests are cleared for agricultural development, the tapir is forced to retreat into less suitable habitats, where it has less chance for survival.

Key Facts:
Sizes:
Length: About 6 ft. Tail 2 in.
Height to shoulder: 2 ½ ft.
Weight: 500 lb.

Breeding:
Sexual maturity: 2-3 years
Mating season: Year round
Gestation: 390-400 days
No. of young: 1

Lifestyle:
Habit: Solitary; occasionally found in pairs
Diet: Aquatic vegetation, twigs, leaves, fruit, and grass
Lifespan: Up to 30 years

Related Species: Baird’s tapir, found from Mexico to Ecuador, west of the Andes. Mountain tapir, from Colombia and Ecuador to Peru. Malayan tapir, from Burma and Thailand to Malaysia and Sumatra.
Distribution: Found from northern South America to southern Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. Widespread, but uneven numbers within these regions.
Conservation: Habitat destruction is greatly reducing tapir populations, although the Brazilian tapir is not threatened with extinction as some other species are.

Features of the Brazilian Tapir:
Coat: Short, sparse hairs, uniformly brownish black. Some white coloration around throat, neck, and chest.
Feet: Each foot has three toes ending in a hoof.
Trunk: Snout and upper lip form a short, flexible trunk.
Snout: Keen sense of smell. Nostrils sniff out vegetation.

Did You Know: 
The name tapir comes from a Brazilian Indian word meaning “thick,” referring to the animal’s
Tough hide.
Brazilian natives claim that stones from the tapir’s stomach have medicinal powers and that a powder ground from their hooves cures epilepsy.
An ancient Malay legend says that the tapir was made by God from odds and ends left over after all other creatures had been created.
Because its trunk is so flexible, a tapir can explore a circle of ground one foot in diameter without moving its head.

To return to animal menu click here