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The World's Tapirs--The Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
Baird's Tapir
Habitat Range |
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| Maps by Carlos Pedraza, TSG, 2008
(Click to see larger version) |
Range:
Distributed from Oaxaca Province in Mexico through Central America
to the western side of the Andean mountain range in Colombia (the
Darien). It occurs in rainforests, lower montane forests, deciduous
forests, flooded grasslands and marsh areas.
Characteristics:
Up to 1.5 meters long (5 feet) and 250 kg (550 pounds).
Status: Endangered
Conservation threats:
The major threats to the species are habitat destruction and fragmentation
and hunting throughout its range.
Population Estimate (2006): Estimates suggest that there are less than 5,500 Baird’s tapir remaining in the wild, with populations in Mexico under 1,500, Guatemala under 1,000, Honduras under 500, Nicaragua under 500, Republic of Panama under 1,000, Costa Rica under 1000, and Colombia approximately 250. Populations of Baird's tapir are in a continuing decline.
Behavior
Mating: Primarily solitary,
the species forms occasional associations with others and for breeding.
Sounds:
Communication is by a range of whistles of different pitch
and duration.
Activity: Primarily becomes
active at dusk and throughout the night, retiring to shelter of
thick vegetation in the early morning. However, it is occasionally
seen throughout the day seeking water in which to rest and cool
down. The species frequently defecates in water as well as on land
and at "dump sites." These sites and the spraying of urine
onto vegetation and trees are thought to be associated with home
range marking. There is no evidence of exclusive territoriality.
Males appear to have small home ranges (about 1 sq km) and females
range much more widely.
Feeding habits: The species
eats the twigs and growing tips of a wide range of understorey vegetation,
including snapping small saplings with its mouth to get to tall
plants. It also takes a large quantity of fruits and leaves from
the forest floor and aquatic vegetation when and where available.
Other:
The species is vulnerable to predation
by jaguars and pumas. It has thick and tough skin, particularly
on its hindquarters. Occasional deaths have been recorded through
collisions with automobiles (particularly in Belize).
Other names: Tapir, danta (Spanish),
mountain cow (Belize), macho del monte (Colombia & Costa Rica).
More About Baird's Tapirs
IUCN Red List Report on Baird's Tapir
Tapir Virtual
Library
EDGE
Baird's Tapir Profile
Wikipedia/Bairds_tapir
Sources:
BROOKS, D.; BODMER, R.E.; MATOLA, S (compilers).
1997. Tapirs - Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. (English,
Spanish, Portuguese.) IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland,
Switzerland and Cambridge,UK.viii+164pp. Dirección en la
Red. http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/iucn-ssc/tsg/action97/cover.htm
EMMONS, L. 1990. Neotropical Rainforest Mammals. The University
of Chicago Press. USA. 281p
FOERSTER, C. 1998. Uso de hábitat, ámbito de hogar
y actividad de la danta centroamericana en un bosque tropical húmedo
de C.R. Tesis de Posgrado, Programa Regional de Manejo de Vida Silvestre
para Mesoamerica y el Caribe.
FOERSTER, C. 1998. Comportamiento de forrajeo y dieta de una danta
centroamericana en un bosque tropical húmedo de C.R. Tesis
de Posgrado, Programa Regional de Manejo de Vida Silvestre para
Mesoamerica y el Caribe.
FRAGOSO, J. 1983. The ecology and behavior of Baird’s tapir
in Belize. Documento del centro de Documentación de la universidad
de Heredia, Costa Rica.
FRAGOSO, J. 1987. The habitat preferences and social structure of
tapirs. Masters Thesis, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
GAMERO, I. 1978. Mamíferos de mi tierra. López y Cia,
Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
GARCÍA, M. 2006. Caracterización de la dieta y el
hábitat del tapir (Tapirus bairdii Gill, 1865) en ecosistemas
ribereños del Parque Nacional Laguna Lachuá, Cobán,
Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Tesis para optar al título de Licenciado
en Biología Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala.
IUCN 2006. Red List IUCN. www.uicnredlist.org
JANZEN, D. 1981. Artículo Digestive seed predation by a Costa
Rican Baird’s Tapir. Reproductive Botany Journal, 59-63.
LIRA T. I., NARANJO P., E. y REYES Ch., 2005. Ampliación
del área de distribución de Tapirus bairdii, Gill
1865 (Perissodactyla: Tapiridae) en Oaxaca, México. Acta
Zoológica Mexicana (n.s.) 21(1): 107-110
MARCH, I. 1994. Situación actual del tapir en México.
Serie Monográfica No.1. Centro de Investigaciones Ecológicas
del Sureste. Chiapas, México.
NARANJO, E. 1994. Abundancia y uso de hábitat del Tapir (Tapirus
bairdii) en un bosque tropical húmedo de C.R. Programa Regional
en Manejo de Vida Silvestre.
2006. Third International Tapir Symposium. Conference Report. Electronic
version available at www.tapirs.org
REID, F. 1997. A field Guide to the Mammals of central America and
southeast México. Oxford University Press. USA. 334p.
SCHLESINGER, V. 1999. Animals and plants of the ancient maya. University
of Texas Press. USA. (pg 151-153).
TOBLER, M.W. 2002. Uso del hábitat y dieta de la danta centroamericana
(Tapirus bairdii) en un bosque nuboso montano de la Cordillera de
Talamanca, Costa Rica. Biotropica. v. 34, no. 3. p. 468-474.
WILLIAMS, K. 1984. The Central American Tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
in northwest C.R. Ph.D Thesis, Michigan State University, Department
of fisheries and wildlife.
Written with the help of Keith Williams, TSG, and Manolo Garcia,
TSG.
Illustration generously provided
by Stephen Nash, Conservation International
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