One of the 4 tapirs on WAnimals
Mammals · Perissodactyla · Tapiridae
Tapirus bairdii
At very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.
It is the largest native land mammal in Central America and the national animal of Belize, where it is known as the "mountain cow". It can swim by three weeks old, and as an adult will stay submerged in pools for hours.
Weight
150 kg – 400 kg
Size
1.8 m – 2.5 m
Life expectancy
23 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web; AnAge; One Earth; Dimensions.com; Los Angeles Zoo; Bright's Zoo; Creatures of the World Wiki; PMC
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Baird's Tapir — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The baird's tapir is classified as endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 6 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about baird's tapir.
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