Deep inside tropical forests lives an unusual animal that looks like a mixture of several different creatures. The tapir has a rounded body like a pig, a short flexible nose like a tiny elephant trunk, and feet that resemble those of a rhinoceros. Despite its unusual appearance, the tapir belongs to an ancient group of mammals related to horses and rhinoceroses.
There are four living species of tapir. They live in parts of Central and South America and in Southeast Asia. The Malayan tapir is the largest species and is easily recognized by its striking black-and-white body
A Nose Made for Finding Food
One of the tapir's most interesting features is its flexible snout. The short trunk-like nose is actually an extended nose and upper lip. Tapirs can move it around to grab leaves, branches, and fruit.
Tapirs are herbivores and eat a wide variety of plants. They commonly feed on leaves, stems, fruit, and aquatic vegetation. Their flexible snout allows them to reach vegetation that might otherwise be difficult to grab.
Tapirs are often most active during the morning and evening. They can follow established paths through dense vegetation as they travel between feeding areas and water sources.
Excellent Swimmers
Although tapirs have heavy bodies and short legs, they are surprisingly good swimmers. Water is an important part of their lives.
When temperatures rise, tapirs can enter rivers, ponds, and other bodies of water to cool themselves. They can also submerge and use their flexible snouts above the water while swimming.
Water can provide another important advantage: when frightened, a tapir may escape toward a river or other water source. Baird's tapirs, for example, are known to move toward water when disturbed.
Tapirs can also wallow in mud. This behavior may help them cool down and remove irritating insects from their thick skin.
The Gardener of the Forest
Tapirs have an important role in their ecosystems. They eat fruits and swallow many seeds as they move through the forest. Later, they deposit those seeds in their droppings, sometimes far from where they originally found the fruit.
This makes tapirs important seed dispersers. By carrying seeds across large areas, they help forests regenerate and encourage plant diversity. For this reason, tapirs are sometimes called the “gardeners of the forest.”
This role becomes especially important in tropical forests, where many plants depend on animals to transport their seeds.
A Solitary Forest Animal
Tapirs are generally solitary. Adults usually travel alone and spend much of their time searching for food, water, and safe places to rest. They can move quietly through thick vegetation despite their large size.
Young tapirs look very different from adults. Baby tapirs are born with distinctive stripes and spots across their bodies. These markings can help them blend into the dark, patterned environment of the forest floor. As they grow, the markings gradually disappear.
Threats to the Tapir
Tapirs face serious threats from habitat loss and hunting. Forest destruction can reduce the amount of suitable habitat available to them, while fragmented forests can separate populations from one another.
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