Tapir | 台北市立動物園資訊網

Herbivorous mammal native to South and Central America, and Southeast Asia

Tapirs ( TAY-pər, TAY-peer, tə-PEER)[1] are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inhabiting Southeast Asia. They are one of three extant branches of Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates), alongside equines and rhinoceroses. Only a single genus, Tapirus, is currently extant. Tapirs migrated into South America during the Pleistocene epoch from North America after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama as part of the Great American Interchange.[2] Tapirs were once widespread in North America until the arrival of humans at the end of the Late Pleistocene, around 12,000 years ago.

There are four widely rec...