Mammals
Lowland tapir
Tapirus terrestrisConservation statusVulnerable
DietFruit, leaves and water plants
LifespanAbout 25 years
Size and weightUp to about 250 kg
A dark body shaped like a barrel, on short legs. It has a stiff mane on the back of the neck and a short, bendy snout.
Footprint
What makes it specialIts closest relatives are the horse and the rhino, not the pig it looks like.
Surprising factWhen it runs away, it dives and walks along the bottom of the river. It uses its snout like a snorkel, a tube for breathing.
PopulationDeclining. It is rare by nature: one or two animals in every ten square kilometers.
Mostly tracks in the mud of the riverbanks