The Baird's tapir is related to the rhinoceros and horse. It is the largest of the terrestrial mammals of the American Tropics. Tapirs are good climbers and can even climb vertical fencing. They are excellent swimmers and divers and prefer to stay near water.
Tapirs have single births.
The young have a horizontally banded and striped first coat. After the first year the stripes have usually disappeared. Tapirs feed mainly on leaves, fresh sprouts and small branches. They also eat all varities of fruits, grasses and aquatic plants. Tapirs are native to southern Central America.