Species MammalsBaird's Tapir

Baird's Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

Very rareMammal
Illustration of Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii)

Baird's Tapir is the largest native land mammal in Central America and reaches the southern tip of Mexico. It has a distinctive prehensile upper lip that acts as a short trunk for grasping and stripping leaves from branches. As a seed disperser for large-fruited tropical trees, the tapir plays an irreplaceable ecological role in maintaining forest diversity.

Habitat
Tropical rainforests, cloud forests, and river margins
Diet
Fruits, leaves, aquatic plants, and bark
How common
Very rare

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