South American tapir
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Young South American tapirs have body stripes that disappear as they grow.
THE REAL WORLD
The real South American tapir
- Scientific name
- Tapirus terrestris
- Japanese name
- アメリカバク
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Perissodactyla
- Family
- Tapiridae
- Genus
- Tapirus
It is a nocturnal animal of South American forests that lives near lakes and rivers.
Its long nose, which stretches out together with its upper lip, pulls branches close so it can eat them.
It swims well, and when a jaguar or another predator attacks, it escapes into the water.
How the South American tapir lives
During the day, they tend to stay in the shelter of the forest. They eat fruit, leaves, and other plant material. They usually live alone. Mothers sometimes travel with their young.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Shoulder height: about 1 m
- Weight
- 170–250 kg
- Diet
- Aquatic and forest plants
- Range
- Northern Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, and southwestern Colombia
Where the South American tapir has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- アメリカバク
- 简体中文
- 南美貘
- 繁體中文
- 南美貘
- 한국어
- 브라질맥
- Español
- Anta
- Français
- Tapir D'Amérique
- Deutsch
- Flachlandtapir
- Português (Brasil)
- Anta
- Italiano
- Tapiro sudamericano
- العربية
- تابير برازيلي
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Tapir brasil
- Tiếng Việt
- Heo vòi Nam Mỹ
- Русский
- Равнинный тапир
- Türkçe
- Amerika tapiri
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — アメリカバクChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Tapirus terrestrisChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the South American tapir, look for this
- Look for the short mane running along the top of the head toward the neck.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the South American tapir
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Tapiridae
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