What do tapirs do to survive?

What do tapirs do to survive?

Tapirs spend most of their day underwater, using their snouts like snorkels, to keep cool in their hot forest environment and also to avoid predators. Tapirs are surprisingly agile swimmers given their size. Tapirs will also wallow in mud during the day which helps them keep cool and eliminates insects from their skin.

How fast is a tapir?

30 miles per hour
A Tapir can travel at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.

What is the biggest threat to the tapir?

IUCN Status: Endangered The biggest threat to tapirs is habitat loss due to land clearance for human settlement and agriculture. Clear cutting for lumber and flooding by hydroelectric dam projects also pose threats to tapirs. In some areas they are hunted for food and for the live animal trade.

Are tapirs and elephants related?

THEY HAVE SURPRISING RELATIVES. Despite its snout, it’s not closely related to the elephants. And though it’s pretty portly, it’s not a pig or a hippopotamus. Stumped? It turns out that tapirs’ closest relatives are rhinoceroses and horses.

Why are Malayan tapir hunted?

In fact, the Malayan Tapir is an easy target for speeding vehicles due to their poor eyesight. Poaching and hunting tapirs for their meat and skin is also on the rise. Even the current trend and demand for exotic pets is affecting the poor animal, as tapir calves are cute and adorable.

How has the tapir adapted to its environment?

Tapirs are large animals. Their big and strong feet are an important feature that helps them to adapt. They walk and move across habitats with ease because of these splayed hoofed toes. “You don’t necessarily find them on mountains but they can handle high elevation quite well.

What type of animals prey on a tapir?

Wild jungle cats that roam the grassy plains in Central America or the jungles of South America and Asia also may prey on the these animals. Tigers, jaguars , and cougars are three examples of larger felines that hunt the Tapir. Despite these few natural predators, perhaps the biggest risk to the the animal’s survival are humans.

Why is tapir an endangered species?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Malay tapir is endangered with its population declining mainly because of loss and fragmentation of habitat, hunting, roadkills and being caught in snares meant for other animals.

Is tapir a 1 toed hoofed animal?

Horses and zebras have only one toe on each foot, which is protected with a well-developed nail-like case called a hoof. Rhinoceroses have three toes on each foot, and tapirs have three toes on each back leg, and four on each front leg. These animals are mainly found in Africa and Asia.