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Tapir Gifts

A tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain Tapir. All four species of tapir are classified as endangered or vulnerable.


Tapirs

Tapirs are closely related to horses and rhinos, though most people feel it more closely resembles a pig.

Tapir Classification:

Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Superfamily: Tapiroidea
Family: Tapiridae
Genus: Tapirus

Other Names: Mountain Cow, Macho del Monte

Tapir in Foreign Languages:

Arabic: tabiir
Basque: tapir
Bulgarian: tapir
Chinese: Mandarin: mò
Czech: tapírovití
Danish: tapir
Dutch: tapir
Esperanto: tapiro / virtapiro / tapirico / tapirino / tapirido / virtapirido / tapiridico / tapiridino
Finnish: tapiiri
French: tapir
German: Tapir
Greek: tápiros
Hebrew: tapír
Italian: tapiro
Japanese: baku
Lithuanian: tapyras
Malay: tenuk
Navajo: bichi´i´h naats'oodí
Norwegian: tapir
Polish: tapir
Portuguese: anta
Russian: tapír
Roman: tapiri
Slovene: tapir
Spanish: tapir / anta / anteburro / danta / danto / sachavaca
Swedish: tapir


Tapir

Conservation Status: Endangered

*All four species of Tapir are Endangered





Species: There are currently four recognized species of tapir.

Tapir Species

Baird’s tapir - Tapirus bairdii
Lowland tapir - Tapirus terrestris
Mountain tapir - Tapirus pinchaque
Malayan tapir - Tapirus indicus

Size: Tapirs stand 29 to 42 inches at their shoulder and they weigh between 500 to 800 lbs. The largest tapir is the Malayan tapir, which measures up to 8 feet long. The smallest tapir is the mountain tapir which is up to 6 feet long.

Habitat: Tapirs are found in Mexico, Central America, South America, and Asia. Tapirs inhabit swamps, forests, and rain forests.

Description: Tapirs have stocky bodies and a distinctive short prehensile trunk.

Diet: Tapirs eat leaves, twigs, branches, buds, shoots, berries, fruits and aquatic plants.

Communication: Tapirs communicate through vocalizations, snorting and foot stomping.

Did You Know?

Tapirs are excellent swimmers and can even dive to feed on aquatic plants. Like pigs they will often wallow in mud to cool off.

Gestation: Tapirs carry their young for 13 to 14 months

Birth: Tapirs give birth to a single baby at a time. A newborn tapir weighs 15 to 22 lbs at birth.

Sexually Mature: Tapirs reach sexual maturity between three and five years of age. Females will mature earlier than their male counterparts.

Life Span: Tapirs live approximately 25 to 30 years. Tigers, jaguars, cougars along with large reptiles like crocodiles all prey on tapir.

Did You Know?

Tapirs are generally shy but will defend themselves when threatened.

Social Structure: Tapirs are solitary and protective of their environments.

Tapir Gifts

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

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