Wide angle view down the mouth of a tapir!
Let's give a big cheer for Belize's national animal!
Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is the largest land mammal native to Central and South America. Named after American naturalist Spencer Fullerton Baird, Baird’s Tapir is one of the four species of the tapir family found in Latin America. The national animal of our beloved Belize is protected under the law; thus, the hunting of the tapir is illegal. Over the past 33 years, the population of this animal has declined more than 50%, mainly due to poaching, habitat loss, and automobile collisions. The estimates suggest that only 4,500 of its kind remain. This species is listed as an “Endangered” species by the IUCN.
With their long and flexible snout, stubby tail and standing two meters height, the Braid’s tapir may look like they’re relatives of elephants, but they’re actually much more closely related to horses and rhinos! Like all tapirs, this species has a prominent proboscis, or tube-like nose, that is made up of soft tissue which makes the organ extremely flexible and allows it to reach further into those yummy leaves and stems. These nocturnal creatures also feed on fallen fruits, but besides eating they spend most of their time swimming and wading especially on hot days.
Baird’s tapirs are solitary animals that usually only come together when it’s time to mate. Females carry their young for 13 months, after which the baby will remain with its mother for one to two years until it is weaned and able to survive on its own. Baby Baird’s tapirs are covered in stripes and spots like a cross between a fawn and a piglet. It is thought these markings help the little ones hide from predators, such as jaguars and pumas, in the dark undergrowth of the forest.
Photograph by Caitlin Buchanan
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