Animal Documentary
The Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), also known as the Central American tapir, is a species of tapir native to Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America.[4] It is the largest of the three species of tapir native to the Americas, as well as the largest native land mammal in both Central and South America.[5]
#tapir #mostendanger
Baird's #baird #tapirus
Baird's tapir at the Franklin Park Zoo
Conservation status
#ecosystemstudies
Endangered
CITES Appendix I
Scientific
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Perissodactyla
Family:
Tapiridae
Genus:
Tapirus
Species:
T. bairdii
Binomial name
Tapirus bairdii
(Gill, 1865)[3]
Current distribution in blue, historic distribution in red, uncertain range in yellow
Synonyms
Tapirella bairdii
Names
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The Baird's tapir is named after the American naturalist Spencer Fullerton Baird,[6] who traveled to Mexico in 1843 and observed the animals. However, the species was first documented by another American naturalist, W. T. White.[7]
Like the other American tapirs (the mountain tapir and the South American tapir), the Baird's tapir is commonly called danta by people[who?] in all areas.[where?] In the regions around Oaxaca and Veracruz, it is referred to as the anteburro. Panamanians, and Colombians call it macho de monte, and in Belize, where the Baird's tapir is the national animal, it is known as the mountain cow.
In Mexico, it is called tzemen in Tzeltal;[citation needed] in Lacandon, it is called cash-i-tzimin, meaning "jungle horse"[citation needed] and in Tojolab'al it is called niguanchan, meaning "big animal".[citation needed] In Panama, the Kunas people call the Baird's tapir moli in their colloquial language (Tule kaya), oloalikinyalilele, oloswikinyaliler, or oloalikinyappi in their political language (Sakla kaya), and ekwirmakka or ekwilamakkatola in their spiritual language (Suar mimmi kaya).[citation needed]
Habitat
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The Baird's tapir is found in many diverse vegetation types. They can withstand elevations from sea level to up to 3,600 metres (11,800 ft). The animal can be found in wet areas like mangrove forests, marshes, swamp areas, and wet tropical rainforests. It also resides in drier areas like riparian woodlands, deciduous forests, and mountainous cloud forests. It prefers secondary growth forests, when available, due to increase in understory plants for foraging and protection. Food and water availability as well as protection are key factors in habitat selection.[8]
Description
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Front foot
A Baird's tapir skull on display at the Museum of Osteology, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The Baird's tapir has a distinctive cream-colored marking on its face, throat, and tips of its ears, with a dark spot on each cheek, behind and below the eye. The rest of its bristly hair is dark brown or grayish brown. The animal is very muscly, and about the size of a small donkey. A long thin mane is present but not always conspicuous. It has two small oval shaped eyes flush with the side of the head. Its ears are large, oval-shaped and not very mobile. Baird's tapirs average 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in length, but can range between 1.8 and 2.5 m (5 ft 11 in and 8 ft 2 in), not counting a stubby, vestigial tail of 5–13 cm (2.0–5.1 in), and 73–120 cm (29–47 in) in height. Body mass in adults can range from 150 to 300 kg (330 to 660 lb). Like the other species of tapirs, they have small, stubby tails. Their snout and upper lips project forward to create a fleshy and flexible proboscis. This proboscis is their strongest sense organ that aids in finding food and detecting physical stimuli. Their legs are short and slender; well adapted to rapid movement through underbrush. They have four toes on each front foot, and three toes on each back foot.[9][10][11][12]
Lifecycle
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The gestation period is about 400 days, after which one offspring is born to an average mass of 9.4 kg (21 lb).[12] Multiple births are extremely rare, but in September 2020, a Baird's tapir in Boston's Franklin Park Zoo birthed twins.[13] The babies, as with all species of tapir, have reddish-brown hair with white spots and stripes. This pattern creates a camouflage which affords them excellent protection in the shady understory of the forest. This pattern eventually fades into the adult coloration.
For the first week of their lives, infant Baird's tapirs are hidden in secluded locations while their mothers forage for food and return periodically to nurse them. Later, the young follow their mothers on feeding expeditions. At three weeks of age, the young are able to swim. Weaning occurs after one year, and sexual maturity is usually reached 6 to 12 months later. Baird's tapirs can live for over 30 years.
Baird's tapir: sniffing
The Baird's tapir may be active at all hours, but is primarily nocturnal. It forages for leaves and fallen fruit, using well-worn tapir paths which zigzag through the thick undergrowth of the forest. ]