Ground tapir
Tapirus terrestris
Distribution
from Venezuela and Colombia, to southern Brazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay and the eastern Andes.
Habitat
Rainforest
Gestation
13 months
Number of pups
1, very rarely 2
Longevity
30 years
Weight
150-250 kg
Size
1m high, 2m long
Diet
herbivore, frugivore
Conservation status
:
Vulnerable
With its short trunk and crest, the tapir is a surprising animal, often confused with the anteater. However, it only eats on plants: leaves, grasses, fruits, and aquatic plants, it loves to swim! Weighing more than 200 kg, it is one of the largest mammals in South America. The young are born spotted and striped with white, in order to camouflage themselves, but become united in adulthood… except for the legs where a few spots remain.
It lives in the Amazon rainforest, where it is threatened by hunting for meat and skin and deforestation.
A group of females (a mother and her daughters) live in La Barben, they share a vast park with capybaras and alpacas.
