Home › Mammalia › Tapiridae › Mountain Tapir (Tapirus pinchaque)
SPECIES PROFILE
Mountain Tapir (Tapirus pinchaque)
Tapirus
IUCN STATUS
Endangered
CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered
CLASS
Mammalia
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
DIET
Herbivorous
HABITAT
Andean paramo and cloud forest (2,000-4,500 m)
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Mammalia
ORDER
Perissodactyla
FAMILY
Tapiridae
GENUS
Tapirus
📋 Description
SIZE
Up to 1.8 m long; 130-180 kg
COLORATION
Blackish woolly coat with white lips and rump
ADAPTATIONS
Thick wool insulates against high-altitude cold
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Andean paramo and cloud forest (2,000-4,500 m)
DIET
Herbivorous
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
REPRODUCTION
Single striped calf
DIET DETAILS
Leaves, shoots and paramo plants
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Habitat loss, hunting
💡 Interesting Facts
1
The only tapir that lives in the high mountains, and the most endangered of the four species.
2
Its thick woolly coat has earned it the name 'woolly tapir'.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Antisana Reserve
Sangay National Park
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
Year-round
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
Scan paramo and cloud-forest edges at dawn in high Andean reserves; the woolliest tapir lives above the treeline.
