Tapirs spend much of their time bathing to regulate their body temperatures, and to escape from predators. Mountain tapirs can remain submerged for minutes at a time and will poke their trunk about the surface of the water to breathe. This allows them to remain concealed from hunters and predators. Tapirs will also wallow in mudholes to cover their skin with mud, which helps them avoid being bitten by insects. They will also rub their bodies against trees to remove ticks and loose hair.
Scent is used as one of their most important forms of communication.
Males may urinate to leave scent marks, which advertise territorial boundaries. Mountain tapirs will snap off branches and knock over trunks, which makes more food available for smaller herbivores. Mountain tapirs are also extremely important in seed dispersal, making them an important keystone species for the northern Andes. All four species of tapirs are endangered but the mountain tapir is one of the most critically endangered large mammals. The large decrease in their numbers is due to extensive habitat destruction in the Andes.