Lowland Tapir

Tapirus terrestris

The lowland tapir, also called the South American tapir or Brazilian tapir, is Tapirus terrestris, a large forest ungulate found from the Amazon and Orinoco basins into parts of the Atlantic Forest and adjacent wetlands. It is related to horses and rhinoceroses rather than pigs, despite its rounded body and rooting snout. Adults are usually dark brown to gray-brown with pale-edged ears and a short prehensile proboscis used to pull leaves, fruit, aquatic plants, and twigs. Calves are born with cream stripes and spots that break up their outline in dense cover.

Zoos, sanctuaries, and conservation centers keep lowland tapirs as browsing herbivores that need warm shelter, shade, pools or wallows, and barriers built for a strong, surprisingly agile animal. Diet planning favors browse, leafy produce, hay, and controlled fruit to limit obesity. Footing, hoof trimming, dental checks, and protected-contact training are routine husbandry concerns. In the wild, hunting, road deaths, and forest fragmentation drive monitoring with camera traps, genetic sampling, and habitat-corridor planning.