tapir

[tey-per, tuh-peer]

noun

plural

tapirs ,

plural

tapir .

1. any of several large, stout, three-toed ungulates of the family Tapiridae, of Central and South America, the Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra, somewhat resembling swine and having a long, flexible snout: all species are threatened or endangered.

tapir

/ ˈteɪpə /

noun

1. any perissodactyl mammal of the genus Tapirus, such as T. indicus ( Malayan tapir ), of South and Central America and SE Asia, having an elongated snout, three-toed hind legs, and four-toed forelegs: family Tapiridae

Word History and Origins

Origin of tapir¹

1560–70; ≪ Tupi tapira

Word History and Origins

Origin of tapir¹

C18: from Tupi tapiira

Example Sentences

Researchers who captured footage of dog attacks on endangered mountain tapirs in Colombia are calling for action to protect threatened wildlife.

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"Animals like sloths and armadillos came north, while horses, tapirs, bears and elephants went south," said study co-author Bruce MacFadden, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

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Their phones were now full of oncillas, tapirs, great horned owls and the gleaming crowns of Mauritius palms at sunset.

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This may also explain why other animals with trunks, such as tapirs, never developed such dextrous trunks as elephants, as they never moved into open lands.

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Titanotheres belong in the order Perissodactyla, along with rhinoceroses, tapirs and horses.

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