Lowland tapirs at
Le Barben Zoo, France

Photo by Ingo Behrmann: lowland tapirs at Le Barben Zoo, France
Photo © Copyright Ingo Behrmann 1997

This photo shows several of the tapirs in their spacious compound. Two in the back are apparently trying to mate. Tapirs can mate both in the water and on dry land. If copulation is successful, gestation takes about 13 months. One young is born. There have been only a few reports of twins. One offspring is the expected number. The long gestation period and small "brood" is one reason tapirs run the risk of extinction when their numbers are decreased by habitat destruction or hunting. They simply do not reproduce fast enough to keep up with human tampering.


All tapirs are endangered species.
Saving tapirs helps save the rainforest.

Ingo Behrmann's web site once featured Anja, the last mountain tapir in Europe (d. 1997). Now the site seems to have disappeared.

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