Tapirs are short-legged, stocky, hoofed mammals with a short fleshy trunk. This proboscis is used to pull leaves and plants into their mouths.

There are four species: The Brazilian Tapir, also known as the Lowland Tapir, has a brown coat which is short and they have a bristly mane extending along the back of the neck. They are found in wooded and grassy areas. The Mountain Tapir is reddish brown in colour with a white chin and white fringes on the ears, and they are found in the mountain forests. The Baird’s Tapir is also known as the Central American Tapir. Their coats are reddish brown and they possess a short thick mane. Malayan Tapirs look the most different with the middle section of their body being white, their front and back half being brown. They are found in the dense rainforests.

Tapirs are mainly active at night, and being both browsers and grazers they feed on a variety of vegetation including grasses, leaves, shrubs, fruits, aquatic plants.