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Tapirs: Tapiridae

Tapirs And People

The tapir is hunted for its skin, which is used to make leather goods. It is also hunted for its meat as well as other parts of its body, which are used to make medicine.

FOLKLORE AND FACTS ABOUT THE TAPIR

  • The word "tapir" comes from a Brazilian Indian word meaning "thick," which refers to its hide.
  • Some cultures claim that the powder from a tapir's ground-up hoof can cure epilepsy.
  • A Malay myth claims that God made the tapir from leftover parts of other animals already created.
  • The tapir is known as the "mountain cow" in Belize.

Additional topics

Animal Life ResourceMammalsTapirs: Tapiridae - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Tapirs And People, Lowland Tapir (tapirus Terrestris): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, CONSERVATION STATUS