Mammals
Mountain tapir
Tapirus pinchaqueConservation statusEndangered
DietLeaves of bushes and páramo plants (páramo is the high grassland of the Andes)
Lifespan25-30 years
Size and weightAbout 150-200 kg
Thick dark fur, almost like wool, and a short snout that bends easily. It uses the snout to pick leaves.
Flexible snout
What makes it specialThe only tapir that lives above the tree line, where trees stop growing. It is also the only one with fur against the cold.
Surprising factIt spreads the seeds of many páramo plants. Where it has disappeared, there are fewer kinds of plants.
PopulationFewer than 2,500 in the whole world, and falling.
Mountain forests and páramo (high grassland)