Baird's Tapir: the Largest Indigenous Mammal of the Americas

Baird's Tapir

AKA

Tapirus bairdii 

Last semester I studied abroad in Costa Rica, where I had the chance to really explore tropical rainforests.  One of my classmates went to Corcovado National Park, which is located in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica, and saw a tapir taking a mud bath!  Tapirs, specifically Baird's Tapir, are endangered so I thought it would be fun to learn more about these...lovely, but strange looking animals! 

Red: Extinct
Dark Yellow: Extant (resident)
Bright Yellow: Probably Extant (resident)

Baird's Tapir, or Tapirus bairdii, is the largest indigenous mammal found in Central America.  As seen on the map, this type of tapir is found from the Southern region of Mexico to the Western portion of Columbia.  Unfortunately, Baird's Tapir is regionally extinct completely in El Salvador and other portions of Central America.   

They are actually found in a variety of habitats throughout Central America, including:

• marshes
• swamps
• mangroves
• wet tropical rainforests
• riparian woodlands
• monsoon deciduous forests
• montane cloud forests
• paramo (treeless area, with shrubs)

They prefer lush, green environments

Baird's Tapir loves swimming in water!

As you can see, they prefer greener places with plenty of water!  Baird's Tapir is actually the largest out of the four species found throughout the world.  They weigh between 330-660 pounds, have small eyes,  large ears, with bristly fur and a long, narrow mane.  Another distinguishing feature is their large snout, called a proboscis (like an elephant trunk), that is used to grabbing food, as a snorkel while swimming, and detecting tactile stimuli.  

The adult tapirs are pretty ugly animals, however, the babies are adorable!  They are more brownish with white stripes.   

One of the reasons that tapir populations are declining is that they can't reproduce quickly enough to keep up with declining adult population.  Tapirs can only produce one offspring per gestation period (13 months), so as poaching and deforestation kill more adults, tapirs are becoming endangered.  AKA the death rate of tapirs is exceeding the birth rate.  

• The population decline in the past 3 generations is estimated to be greater than 50%.
• There is evidence that infectious diseases may contribute to their decline as well.
• Overall, there are about 5,000 mature adults total.  

Dead Baird's Tapir, possibly from hunting, a predator, or an infectious disease.

Because of the declining population, its declining habitat, predators, and poaching, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared Baird's Tapir as Endangered since 2002.  

According to the IUCN:

• As much as 70% of Central American forest areas have been lost by deforestation and alteration over the last 40 years.  
• Therefore, at least 50% of the tapir habitat has been lost on the past 3 generations (30-40 years) 
• Also, the construction of roads and settlements are a major problem for these animals.  They generally don't occupy areas that have been disturbed  by humans.
• Lastly, hunting has become a major problem for the tapir decline because rules aren't being enforced by the local governments.  Even though Baird's Tapir is endangered, most are turning a blind eye to this problem.

Dead tapir, probably from being hit by a truck. 

But why should we care about these animals that live in Central America?   Well, tapirs are actually seed dispersers in their habitat!  They strictly eat plants, including fruits, and then excrete the seeds into the environment.  This promotes biodiversity by scattering different seeds to farther places in the forest.  
Also, Baird's Tapir is an indicator species of the ecosystem's health.  Because tapirs are extremely sensitive to changes in their habitat, their decline or abundance helps scientists determine whether the habitat is healthy, or not.  More tapirs in a given area would indicate that the specific habitat is undisturbed by human practices, and therefore the ecosystem is healthy in terms of biodiversity.  Local extinction of the tapir could cause disruptions of some biological processes, such as seed dispersal and nutrient recycling, could eventually compromise the long-term integrity and biodiversity of the ecosystem.  

Which would you prefer?

How can we help them?

The best way to help Baird's Tapir is to donate to the Tapir Specialist Group.  They work to restore ecosystems that have been disturbed by humans and our activities.  They also work to maintain their current habitat so that tapirs can persist into the future.

Other ways to help Baird's Tapir is to enforce poaching laws.  Too many tapirs are being killed illegally, which is reducing their population drastically.  Adult tapirs can only produce one offspring every 13 months, so it doesn't take much to reduce the tapir population.

Go here to donate monies! 

http://www.tapirs.org/support/donate.html

Resources

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/21471/0

http://www.arkive.org/bairds-tapir/tapirus-bairdii/

http://www.tapirs.org/tapirs/index.html
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Tapirus_bairdii/

Photo Credits

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000bXBBu9KXzMU/s/900/900/Tapir-Bairds-703087.jpg

http://maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?id=21471

http://cdn2.arkive.org/media/EF/EF521490-373C-4503-99E8-874FD93818E3/Presentation.Large/Side-profile-of-Bairds-tapir.jpg

http://www.ourbelizevacation.com/uploads/4/2/1/7/4217382/180725_orig.jpg

http://www.tapirs.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC06hwc_lsU
http://www.zooborns.com/.a/6a010535647bf3970b017d409186ed970c-500wi
http://birdingblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/dead-Brazilian-Tapir.jpg
http://smithsonianscience.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/BBVA-Fig5.jpg
http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Deforestation-Amazon.jpg
http://thecostaricanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/rainforest.jpg
http://www.tapirs.org/templates/DonateNow400.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiow022axfD6ETwPzHOHFOfpYRyndfhKFG6vxx4JpL8AGHM3jl_1obd4q6YlzFiuok5m8oHNPlrDpY1ly7GFoFIBTImEBrP_BennN6v38dWUepZgmFmp-8RS1KUYwwgHz6hPnHZx0itqREJ/s400/tsg_logo.gif