The Animal of the Month: The Tapir

The tapir, with its long nose, looks like a hippo/cow/horse/rhino, but is really related to the horse and rhinoceros family. They use their long trunks to pick tasty fruits off the trees, and clean themselves. Like hippos, tapirs often submerge in water to cool off. Tapirs are endangered herbivores that live in the forests and grasslands of Central and South America. Tapirs have been on Earth longer than humans, and scientists believe they have not changed much over the tens of millions of years they have been here. Below is a Malayan Tapir.



There are four types of tapirs-- Malayan Tapir, the Brazilian (or Lowland) Tapir, the Mountain Tapir, and Baird's Tapir. All four species of tapir are endangered. The Mountain tapir (below), or wolly tapir, is the smallest.


He looks like a small black bear with a big nose. You can see a Brazilian tapir below.


And last but not least, below is the Baird's tapir.


The Fast Facts
1. Size: weighs 500 to 800 lbs
2. herbivores
3. Protection Status: endangered
4. Group name: a candle
5. Did you Know? Tapirs have 14 toes!



Thanks for reading!
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Thank you to National Geographic Animal facts