Tapirus bairdii

(Gill, 1865)

Vernacular names
English : Central American Tapir
French : Tapir de Baird

Classification
Class : Mammalia
Order : Perissodactyla
Family : Tapiridae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
230 cm body length, shoulder height of 120 cm, weight up to 350 kg. Dark brown to almost black body coloration, light grey are from chin to breast. Small white edges on ears. Bigger and darker than lowland tapir, with longer proboscis.

Range and habitat
This species occurs in Central America from South-East Mexico to north-west Colombia. Lives in wet habitats, from swamps and mangroves to humid rainforests, never far from permanent water, from sea level to 3600 meters.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : ENDANGERED
CITES : Appendix I
Status : The species is highly endangered and its populations are declining because of habitat reduction, low fertility rates and hunting pressure. Today, the species mostly occurs in a few protected areas.
Ex-Situ Programs : SSP in America

Observation

 

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