Baird’s Tapirs in Costa Rica Rainforest

Baird’s Tapirs are the largest native land mammals in Central America. Tapirs once led to a carefree life up to the early 1990s, they were caught for their meat and skin. But thanks to Corcovado National Park and Santa Rosa National Park, remaining species were conserved and taken care of.

 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND DESCRIPTION

Baird Tapirs are large and solitary animals. They possess great agility not affected by their size; they are able to pass danger on a high speed. Their average length can measure up to six and a half feet. The heaviest can weigh up to 660pounds. Baird Tapirs can live up to 30 years and feed on plants and twigs which characterize them as herbivores. They have a poor vision often compensated by their strong sense of hearing and smell. They are not only capable of walking on land, but can swim and even dive underwater for around thirty seconds. What’s more interesting is that they can walk on river bottoms with their heads above the water.

Adult tapirs have leathery thick skin almost covered with sparse black hair. Their skin is 1-3 centimeter thick. They have a long upper lip which resembles a proboscis of an elephant. This structure helps them in picking leaves and pushing food into their mouths.

DISTINCT BEHAVIORS

It has been noted that Tapirs most likely to defecate on water or on the same place on land, primarily to avoid being trace by predators. They are termed to be crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn but they can also be active at night. They are very particular with the kind of leaves and plants they eat.

HABITAT

At present, Tapirs can only be found protected in national parks, unlike before, they can be seen on all kinds of dwelling places in Costa Rica. One of the factors that Tapirs consider in choosing their habitat then is fresh water. They seem to rest near or on water which gives them relief from insects. They are also thought to require water in order to defecate, as mentioned earlier.

Present dwellings of Baird Tapirs include Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Rincon de la Vieja National Park, and of course, Corcovado National Park.