General Tapir Information

The Baird's tapir is one of 4 species of tapir (genus Tapirus) in the world and the only one found in Central America. Two species are found in South America and one in Malaysia. All tapir species are in danger of extinction. The most critical threats to their survival are habitat destruction and over-hunting.


Lowland Tapir (T.terrestris) S. American lowlands	Mountain Tapir (Tpinchaque) S. American highlands	Baird's Tapir(T. bairdii) C. America, northern S. America	Malaysian Tapir (T.indicus) Southeast Asia

Historically, the Baird's tapir inhabited practically every ecosystem from southern Mexico to Northwestern Ecuador.
Tapirs are the largest mammal in the new-world tropics, standing 1 meter high (3 1/4 ft.) at the shoulder, 2.5 meters (6 1/2 ft.) from nose to tail and weighing up to 350 kilos (720 lbs).
Tapirs are members of the odd-toed ungulate family (Perissodactyla) along with the horse and rhinoceros. Their cloven hooves leave distinctive tracks in the forest and on the beach that are easy to identify.
Tapirs are completely herbivorous, consuming large amounts of leaves, stems and fruits.
Tapirs have an excellent sense of smell and hearing. It is believed that their eyesight is quite poor, but they maneuver through the dense forest understory with ease, sometimes at great speeds.
Their semi-prehensile snout is used extensively during foraging, allowing them to grasp the young, tender leaves from the outermost branches.

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Baird's Tapir Project
Project Overview
General Tapir Info
Basic Telemetry
Why Telemetry?
Habitat Use
Tapir Offspring
Project Cost
Distribution And Range
Activity Pattern
Study Area
Immobilization Method

Project Updates
1st Quarter 2005
1st Quarter 2004
4th Quarter 2003
3rd Quarter 2003
2nd Quarter 2003
1st Quarter 2003
4th Quarter 2002
3rd Quarter 2002

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