Wildlifeof Costa Rica
Central American Tapir
Tapirs, Peccaries & Deer
Photo: Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tapirus bairdii
Basic stats
Diet
Leaves, shoots and fallen fruit, found along well-worn forest paths
Habitat
Wet lowland rainforest, mangrove, marsh, riverine woodland, deciduous forest and cloud forest, from sea level to about 3,600m; prefers secondary growth when available
Range
Southern Mexico through Central America to north-western South America
Litter size
1
Gestation period
About 400 days
Size
Head and body 1.8–2.5m, average about 2m; 73–120cm at the shoulder; tail 5–13cm
Weight
Adults 150–300kg
Baird's tapir is the largest land mammal of Central America, about the size of a small donkey, with dark brown to grey-brown bristly hair, a cream face, throat and ear tips, and a dark spot on each cheek. The snout and upper lip form a flexible short trunk that it uses to find food and sense its surroundings; there are four toes on each front foot and three on each hind foot. Calves are reddish-brown with white spots and stripes that fade as they grow (Wikipedia, general species account).
It can be active at any hour but is mostly nocturnal, following zigzag paths through the undergrowth to browse leaves and fallen fruit. It stays near water, swims and wades, and on hot days may rest in a pool for hours with only its head showing; when threatened it heads for water. It is usually solitary, though small feeding groups are not unusual. Guanacaste, sapodilla and oak seeds can pass through its gut intact. A single calf is born after about 400 days (Wikipedia, general species account; AnAge).
Hunting is illegal in Costa Rica, but the laws are not always enforced. Several tapirs documented in Corcovado National Park had large claw marks across their hides (Wikipedia, general species account). On this guide it is a target species of Braulio Carrillo, Guanacaste National Park, Rincon de la Vieja, Tapanti, Chirripo, Corcovado and the Osa Peninsula.
Quick answers
- What does the Central American Tapir eat?
- Leaves, shoots and fallen fruit, found along well-worn forest paths
- What habitat does the Central American Tapir live in?
- Wet lowland rainforest, mangrove, marsh, riverine woodland, deciduous forest and cloud forest, from sea level to about 3,600m; prefers secondary growth when available
- Where is the Central American Tapir found?
- Southern Mexico through Central America to north-western South America
- What is the litter size of the Central American Tapir?
- 1
- How long is the gestation period of the Central American Tapir?
- About 400 days
- How big is the Central American Tapir?
- Head and body 1.8–2.5m, average about 2m; 73–120cm at the shoulder; tail 5–13cm
- How much does the Central American Tapir weigh?
- Adults 150–300kg