Tapirs - Facts for Kids

Tapirs help spread plant seeds through their droppings, making them important for forest growth!

Some tapirs live in cloud forests where it’s foggy almost every day of the year!

Tapirs can climb steep hillsides and rocky terrain (ground) using their strong legs and flexible toes!

During dry seasons, tapirs stay closer to water sources, but they can still travel several miles to find food!

Tapirs often visit mineral licks — special areas where they can find important nutrients (healthy minerals) in the soil!

During floods, tapirs can swim for several miles to reach higher ground!

Tapirs help maintain (keep healthy) grasslands by eating fast-growing plants that might otherwise take over!

In some areas, tapirs live near human farms but only come out at night!

Mountain tapirs help spread plant species (types) between different elevation (height) zones!

Tapirs can survive in both very wet and very dry forests by changing their behavior!

Some tapirs live in seasonal wetlands that flood for several months each year!

Life Cycle

A baby tapir stays with its mother for 12–18 months before becoming independent (living on its own)!

Female tapirs usually give birth to just one calf after a pregnancy of 13 months!

Baby tapirs can stand up and walk within a few hours of being born!

A newborn tapir weighs between 15–22 pounds (6.8-10 kilograms), about the size of a large house cat!

Tapirs reach adult size at around 18 months old but aren’t fully mature (grown-up) until they’re 3–4 years old!

Tapirs can live through several generations (families) of forest growth, with some individuals reaching 40 years of age in captivity (in zoos)!

A mother tapir produces milk for her calf for about 6 to 10 months!

Baby tapirs lose their striped coat pattern between 5–8 months of age!

Baby tapirs gain about 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms) of weight each week!

A tapir pregnancy can last more than a year (around 13 to 14 months), depending on the species (type)!

Baby tapirs start swimming with their mothers when they’re around 3 weeks old!

Mother tapirs choose special hidden places called nurseries (safe hiding spots) to leave their babies while feeding!

Baby tapirs make soft squeaking sounds to call their mothers!

Tapirs can have babies every two years throughout their adult life!

Baby tapirs learn to use their nose-trunks effectively (well) by watching their mothers!

Diet & Feeding

A tapir can eat up to 85 pounds (38.5 kilograms) of vegetation (plants) in a single day!

Tapirs use their prehensile (grabbing) noses to strip leaves from branches in one quick motion!

Tapirs eat over 100 different species (types) of plants in the wild!

Tapirs help maintain (keep healthy) forest diversity (variety) by spreading seeds from the fruits they eat up to a mile away from the parent tree!

Tapirs sometimes eat clay from river banks, which helps neutralize toxins (harmful chemicals) from plants they eat!

A tapir’s favorite foods include water plants, tree leaves, buds, soft twigs, and fruits!

Tapirs spend about 70% of their waking hours looking for and eating food!

Tapirs use their sensitive noses to determine (figure out) which plants are safe to eat!

Baby tapirs begin eating solid food when they are just 2–3 weeks old!

Tapirs sometimes stand on their hind legs to reach tasty leaves up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) off the ground!

Tapirs can eat some fruits that are toxic (poisonous) to other animals!

Tapirs help spread the seeds of over 200 different tree species (types)!

Tapirs can remember the locations (places) of fruit trees and return to them when the fruits are in season!

During dry seasons, tapirs get most of their water from the plants they eat!

Tapirs sometimes eat bark from trees to get additional nutrients (healthy vitamins and minerals)!

A tapir’s digestive system (stomach and intestines) can process foods that would make other animals sick!

Tapirs prefer to eat fruits that have just fallen from trees!

Some tapirs travel up to 6 miles (10 kilometers) in one night looking for food!

Tapirs can identify (recognize) ripe (ready to eat) fruits by their smell, even in complete darkness!

Conservation & Population

The mountain tapir is the most endangered (in danger of disappearing) of all tapir species, with fewer than 2,500 individuals left in the wild!

Malayan tapirs have lost more than 50% of their natural habitat (home areas) due to deforestation (cutting down forests)!

All four tapir species are considered vulnerable or endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN — a group that studies animal safety)!

There are successful tapir breeding programs in more than 100 zoos worldwide!

Scientists use special camera traps in the forest to count and study wild tapirs!