Baird's Tapir

Scientific Name: Tapirus bairdi

The Baird's tapir has become endangered through loss of habitat, poaching and the resulting fragmentation of the remaining populations. Exact numbers are unknown but thought to be near 3,000 animals and decreasing. Research on wild tapirs is being conducted in Costa Rica, and breeding programs are being conducted in several range state facilities.

Tapir are among the most primitive of the large mammals, having roamed the Northern Hemisphere for 20 million years and their descendants have changed little. Although their appearance suggests a resemblance to pigs or elephants, their closest relative is the horse (equids) and rhinoceros. They are in the Order Perrisodactyla which is made up of the odd-toed ungulates. Tapir have three toes on their back feet and four on their front. The fourth toe on their front foot only touches the ground in soft mud. The tapir's short, fleshy trunk is derived from the nose and upper lip with nostrils at the tip. This helps the tapir to sniff their way through the underbrush and to pull leaves to within reach of their mouth. Being nocturnal, the tapir's vision is less important to them as their sense of smell (most acute) and their hearing. Tapirs commonly shelter in forests or thickets during the day; emerging at night to feed on nearby grasses and shrubbery. They are very water-oriented and spend most of their time in or near it cooling off, feeding or ridding themselves of parasites. They are excellent swimmers and will seek refuge there from predators. Their main predator is the jaguar.

Female tapir have a single pair of mammae (like horses and rhinos) located in the region of their groin. Single offspring are born after approx. 13 months gestation. The striped coat of the youngster acts as camouflage in the dense underbrush. Tapirs reach sexual maturity at 2 -3 years and can live up to 30 years. Baird’s tapirs are a light to reddish brown above; pale below. A low narrow mane, which is not always conspicuous, is also present. In some areas tapirs are hunted extensively for food and sport (for religious reasons, certain Indian tribes do not kill tapirs). All tapir species have declined in recent years, mainly because of deforestation for agricultural purposes.