South American Tapir
Tapirus terrestris · Mammal
A heavy forest beast of 150 to 250 kg that keeps to the shelter of the trees by day and comes out at night to feed, never far from water; it lives in lowland and mountain forest and in swamps east of the Andes. It is shy, but attacks are known: a farmer who stabbed a tapir raiding his maize field was bitten again and again, and both died. It is hunted for meat and hide, an important source of protein for rural people.
- Danger
- Dangerous if cornered
- How it is met
- Alone, by night
- Size
- Large
- In winter
- Active in winter
Where it lives
Tropical Rainforest, Flooded Grassland, Swamp, River
Feeds on
Buriti Palm
Gives
Sources
- Samantha Luxenberg, Tapirus terrestris (Brazilian tapir). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, 2014.
- South American tapir. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2026.
- Tapir du Brésil. Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre, 2026.
- Pantanal. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2026.
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