Brazilian Tapir – Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio

Habits and Lifestyle

Brazilian tapirs generally lead solitary lifestyle, except for the mating season, when they live in pairs as well as mothers and their young, who often travel together. They are mostly nocturnal, spending their daytime hours in shelters, located in the forest. During the night, they leave these shelters to find food. Despite the poor eyesight, these animals perceive their environment through a highly-developed olfactory perception. Brazilian tapirs are generally shy and peaceful animals. However, they are known to display a considerably aggressive behavior when defending their mating rights and home ranges. Communication between conspecifics generally occurs through vocalizations. Brazilian tapirs emit several noises, one of which is the shrieking noise, displaying threat, distress or pain. During the reproductive season, they can often be heard producing clicking sounds, through which they identify themselves to each other. Aggressive attitude is expressed by nasal snorting sound, whereas the puffing sound displays irritation.