South American Tapir
South American TapirSouth American TapirSouth American TapirSouth American Tapir

South American Tapir

Tapirus terrestris

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
10–20% · With luck
overall probability at Iguazú National Park
14 Verified records at Iguazú National Park
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi tapi'ira), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, anta (Brazilian Portuguese), and sachavaca (literally "bushcow", in mixed Quechua and Spanish), is one of the four recognized species in the tapir family (of the order Perissodactyla, with the mountain tapir, the Malayan tapir, and the Baird's tapir). It is the largest surviving native terrestrial mammal in the Amazon. Most classifications also include Tapirus kabomani (also known as the dwarf black tapir or the kabomani tapir) as also belonging to the species Tapirus terrestris (Brazilian tapir), despite its questionable existence and the overall lack of information on its habits and distribution. The specific epithet derives from arabo kabomani, the word for tapir in the local Paumarí language. The formal description of this tapir did not suggest a common name for the species. The Karitiana people call it the little black tapir. Wikipedia →

10–20% of wildlife watchers report a South American Tapir sighting in Iguazú National Park, based on 14 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
10–20
Feb
10–20
Mar
10–20
Apr
30–40
May
5–10
Jun
20–30
Jul
5–10
Aug
10–20
Sep
5–10
Oct
10–20
Nov
10–20
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
60–70%
2 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
60–70%
3 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
30–40%
4 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
20–30%
5 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
20–30%
6 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
20–30%
7 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
10–20%
8 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
10–20%
9 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
5–10%
10 Noel Kempff Mercado National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
11 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
12 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
13 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
14 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a South American Tapir in Iguazú National Park?

About 16% of wildlife watchers report a South American Tapir sighting in Iguazú National Park, based on 14 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see South American Tapir in Iguazú National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for South American Tapir in Iguazú National Park in our monthly data.

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