The hind foot has three digits. The tail is short and thick. Female tapirs have a single pair of mammae, located in the region of the groin. The canines are conical and separated from the premolars by a space. All of the cheek teeth lack cement and are low-crowned, with a series of transverse ridges and cusps.
Horns are absent in all species.
The skull is relatively short and laterally compressed, with a high braincase and a convex profile. The nasal bones are short, arched, and freely projecting. The altitudinal range of tapirs is from sea level to about 4,500 meters. Tapirs may live in nearly any wooded or grassy habitat where there is a permanent supply of water. They commonly shelter in forests and thickets by day, emerging at night to feed in bordering grassy or shrubby areas.