Tapirus pinchaque
This tapir is one of very few individuals of this species that are found in zoos. It is a seriously endangered species. There may be only 2,000 individuals left in the wild today.
The Mountain Tapir, also known as Pinchaque or Woolly Tapir, is the smallest of the four species of tapir. It lives about 30 years and has a gestation period of 13 months. Unlike all other species of tapir, the fur is long and woolly. Its thick fur protects it from very cool night temperatures. Mountain tapirs are also important seed dispersers within their environments. Despite their bulk, they travel easily through dense foliage, up the steep slopes of their hilly habitats, and in water, where they often wallow and swim.
The Mountain Tapir is found in the cloud forests and páramo of the Eastern and Central Cordilleras mountains in Colombia, Ecuador, and the far north of Peru.
This picture was taken at Cali zoo, Colombia, in July 2022.
Family Tapiridae
Order Perissodactyla
Subclass Eutheria
Class Mammalia
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
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