Tapir

"The young have a brown and white striped coat and stay with the mother for 1.5 years."

Tapir

  • Tapirus terrestris

    Scientific name

  • Noordelijk deel van Zuid-Amerika

    Habitat

  • vruchten, bladeren en ander plantaardig materiaal

    Food

  • 35 jaar

    Lifetime

  • 150 tot 250 kilo

    Weight

  • 2 tot 2.20 m

    Length

  • 1 of 2

    Number of youngsters

  • +/- 12 maanden

    Wear time

  • Kwetsbaar

    IUCN Status

  • Ja

    EEP

Wist je dat?

  • 12

    months, so long is the gestation period of the tapir

  • 1,5

    years, as long as youngsters stay with their mother

  • 35

    years, that's how old a tapir can get

Trunk

The small, mobile trunk is used by tapirs when collecting food. The surroundings are sniffed with it and the food found can be brought to the mouth through the trunk.

Excellent swimmers

South American tapirs can swim and dive well. When in danger, they run away or dive into the water. Sometimes they sleep in the water. To get rid of skin parasites, tapirs take mud baths.

Want to know more about IUCN status or the EEP? Clickhere.