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Comparison of tapir feet

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Photo © 2000 Heidi Frohring Right front foot of an Asian tapir (Tapirus indicus) at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington. (Enlarge picture)

Baird's tapir foot goes here when we find one.

Photo © 2000 Patrícia Medici Right front foot of a lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) at Morro do Diabo State Park, Brazil. The outer toe is very small and set back from the others. Patrícia took this in July 2000 while the tapir was in a pitfall trap just before or after radio-collaring. (Enlarge picture)

Photo © 2000 Sheryl Todd Left front foot (image mirrored) of a mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Enlarge picture)

The lowland tapir foot picture above was taken while the animal was standing in a pitfall trap just before or after collaring. I'm still looking for a photo taken closer to the same angle as the others, but here you can begin to see how the attachment of the outer toe differes, and how the size of the hooves are more regular in the mountain tapir, and more varied in the lowland tapir. These differences can also been seen in the tracks linked below. The Baird's foot appears more like the lowland tapir foot, but is not identical to it. If you have a good picture of a Baird's tapir foot from the same angle as these, please write to the e-mail below.