Tara, Toby and Troy

Tapirs are as happy in water as on the forest floor!

The biggest land mammal in South America. Tapirs have similar digestive system to horses.

Brazilian tapirs are from South America, where, like the 3 other tapir species in the world, the Baird, Malayan and Mountain Tapirs they are a vulnerable endangered species.

They may look like a pig, but they have a digestive system like horses and rhinos. But they have differences also. Their ears are like cows, they have a short trunk, and they have three toes on the back and four on the front. They have thick necks with a high mane that serve as good defence against big cat predators.

All tapirs are vegetarians and eat leaves and fruit and seeds. They are good distributors of seeds through their dung. They use their pond as a lavatory, probably to avoid leaving that trace of smell for predators to follow.

They are shy, solitary creatures, except at breeding. Pregnancy is about 13 months. The females are usually larger than the males. Our female is more spotted. They like sheltered areas of jungle to hide in from their enemies. We give ours some sheltered spots, but their job is to be seen, and appreciated - as another amazing and different creature!