Page 55 - World of Animals - Issue #39

Tapirs: guardians of the rainforest

Slow breeders
Tapir pregnancies last longer than a year
Tapirs are well known for their slow reproductive
rates. For all species, a gestation period may
last from 12 to 13 months. Tapirs give birth to
one youngster at a time, with twins being born
rarely. Tapirs may give birth once every other
year, though there may be even longer periods
between births. If you compare this to a similar-
sized animal, the pig, which can produce up to 12
piglets a year, it becomes clear that tapirs have a
very slow reproductive cycle.
When born, all tapirs have a white and brown
striped pelt, complete with a series of pale dots.
This strange colouration helps to camouflage

the young tapir among undergrowth, protecting
it from predators. Young tapirs are born able
to follow their mothers, thus keeping the
youngsters away from harm. When separated,
young tapirs are highly inactive, remaining out
of sight of carnivores. Mother tapirs are highly

protective of their offspring, and have been
known to charge down threats and misplaced
humans in the wild.
At the age of seven months, tapirs begin to
lose their juvenile colouration, gaining a brown
or black-and-white pelt. It isn’t known how long
young tapirs stay with their mother, but this
period may be longer than a year.
“Mother tapirs are

highly protective of
their offspring”

Top tapir facts
Tapir toes
Tapirs are odd-toed
ungulates. They have four
toes on the front feet and
three toes on the back feet.
Their toes are splayed,
which helps them carry
their heavy bodies more
easily through muddy and
soƒ terrain because it gives

them more traction.
The word ‘tapir’ Snorkel nose
comes from ancient The tapir’s long trunk is
Amazonian actually an extension of its
The word ‘tapir’ has been nose and upper lip. It acts
stolen from an ancient as a snorkel in the water to
Amazonian language help the tapir breathe.
known as Tupi, spoken in
Brazil from the 16th to 18th
century. While much of the Silver lining
Tupi language is lost, the All tapirs have dark
word ‘tapi’ira’ survives. ears that are tipped
with a pale stripe.
They’re related to
the rhinoceros
Tapirs have remained “Tapirs have remained
unchanged for millions of
years, so they have no close
living relatives. However, unchanged for millions
these animals are distantly
related to the rhinoceros of years, so they have no
and the horse. Collectively,
these animals are known
as perissodactyls. close living relatives”

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