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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
tapirs |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Perissodactyla |
| FAMILY: |
Tapiridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Tapirus
with three subgenera (Tapirus, Tapirella,
and Acrocodia) and four species |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Tapirs
are marked by a high rounded rump which tapers to
a sloped, somewhat elongate head. The snout and
upper lip form a snub proboscis. They are covered
in short, coarse fur - with some species exhibiting
a narrow mane. Coloration varies among species with
most maintaining a dark brownish red dorsal coat
and a lighter hued ventral coat. One species, T.
indicus, exhibits a white central coat with
the hind legs, fore legs, and head being black in
hue. |
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| SIZE: |
Head
& body length = 180-250 cm
Tail length = 5-13 cm
Shoulder height = 73-120 cm |
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| DIET: |
Aquatic
vegetation, low-growing terrestrial plants and shoots |
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| GESTATION: |
390-95
days (T. indicus)
385-412 days (T. terrestris) |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
3-4
years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
In
a controlled setting, one species reached 35 years |
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| RANGE: |
Portions
of Central and South America (3 species); southern
Burma and Thailand, Malay Peninsula and Sumatra
(1 species) |
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| HABITAT: |
Wooded
and/or grassy areas with a permanent water source |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Varies
according to species |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Lists
one species as endangered, one as near threatened,
and two as vulnerable |
| CITES |
Lists
three species on appendix 1 and one on appendix
2 |
| USFWS |
Lists
all four species as endangered |
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| 1. |
Tapirs,
depending upon the species, are found at altitudes
ranging from sea level to 4,500 meters. |
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| 2. |
Tapirs'
hooves will wear obvious paths to often used water
sources. These paths are occasionally used as guides
by engineers as they plot the course of roads along
mountainsides. |
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| 3. |
Tapirs
are generally solitary, communicating via shrill
whistles and urine scent-marks. Encounters among
adult tapirs typically result in aggressive behavior. |
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| 4. |
In
all species, young tapirs have a reddish brown coat
with yellow and white stripes and spots. At 5-8
months of age, they lose this coloration and exhibit
the adult coat common to their species. |
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| Tapirs
face the pressures of sport and subsistence hunting
as well as habitat loss (forested areas are cleared
for agriculture and cattle grazing). For one species,
T. pinchaque, these pressures have reduced
their numbers to 1,000-2,500 individuals. The disappearance
of any of these species would be a particular tragedy
as they are key dispersers of plant seeds. |
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| Nowak,
Ronald M. Walker's Mammals of the World - Volume
I (Sixth Edition) |
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