Huye de la civilización y de todo cuanto pueda representar un riesgo para él. Es común encontrarlo en bosques caducifolios y de montaña, pantanos y praderas. Old growth forests are also favoured because of the food sources found within them.Tapirs are herbivores that feed up on water plants, fruits and buds. Se halla en América Central y del Sur, específicamente en Argentina, Brasil, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Perú, México y Paraguay. A baby South American tapir, with spots and stripes characteristic of all juvenile tapirs
All tapirs have oval, white-tipped ears, rounded, protruding rumps with stubby tails, and splayed, hooved toes, with four toes on the front feet and three on the hind feet, which help them to walk on muddy and soft ground. The young tapirs are weaned between 6 – 8 months at which time they are nearly fully grown. Their weight can vary between 180 – 320 kilograms (396 – 704 pounds) and they can stand around 1 metre (3 feet) at shoulder height. Hence, the animal is difficult to come across in the wild. Adult tapirs are large enough to have few natural predators, and the thick skin on the backs of their necks helps to protect them from threats such as Approximate divergence times based on a 2013 analysis of The Malayan tapir, the species most isolated geographically from the rest of the genus, has a significantly smaller number of chromosomes and has been found to share fewer Lack of genetic diversity in tapir populations has become a major source of concern for conservationists. These mammals will also eat twigs and leaves. Tapirs are surprisingly agile swimmers given their size. Discover the many amazing animals that live on our planet.Tapirs are related to Rhinoceroses and Horses. Baby tapirs of all types have striped-and-spotted coats for Tapirs have brachyodont, or low-crowned teeth, that lack Tapirs have brown eyes, often with a bluish cast to them, which has been identified as Young tapirs reach sexual maturity between three and five years of age, with females maturing earlier than males.Although they frequently live in dryland forests, tapirs with access to rivers spend a good deal of time in and under water, feeding on soft vegetation, taking refuge from In the wild, the tapir's diet consists of fruit, berries, and leaves, particularly young, tender growth. The Tapir Specialist Group are currently striving to help the Tapir with its survival with programs to save, restore and manage the four species of tapir. The main threat to the Malayan tapirs is human activity, including deforestationfor agricultural purposes, flooding caused by th… Tapirs will also wallow in mud during the day which helps them keep cool and eliminates insects from their skin.Tapirs are agile climbers, clambering up steep hillsides and river banks with apparent ease. Tapirs are solitary animals who spend most of their time alone except for females and their young. The Baird’s Tapir and the Mountain Tapir are both classed as ‘Endangered Species’ with the Mountain Tapir being the most threatened species. Because of their size, tapirs have few natural predators, and even reports of killings by tigers are scarce. Tapirs reach sexual maturity at between 3 – 4 years old with females reaching maturity earlier than males. Young tapirs such as the Brazilian Tapir often have reddish/brown coats that are striped and flecked with white. Even in zoos, genetic diversity is limited; all captive mountain tapirs, for example, are descended from only two founder individuals.A number of conservation projects have been started around the world. Female Tapirs have a pair of single mammary glands with which they suckle their young.Tapirs are nocturnal and crepuscular animals except the Mountain Tapir which is more diurnal, active during the day.
The life span of a tapir is up to 35 years in the wild.Tapirs have considerably reduced in numbers due to hunting for their meat and hide.