Reports on the presence of the mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) in Llanganates National Park, Ecuador

Abstract

In Ecuador, few studies have been conducted on the mountain tapir; however, efforts to obtain information on this species are increasingly ongoing. Recently, valuable direct records of this ungulate have been obtained in Llanganates National Park (PNL), which are reported in this note. The mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) is distributed from northern Peru, the eastern and northwestern parts of the Ecuadorian Andes, to the western, eastern, and central parts of the Colombian Andes. Its habitat is montane forests and páramos ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 meters above sea level. In Ecuador, this type of habitat has been affected by the constant development of anthropogenic activities, which have caused 64% of the total páramos area (12,500 km2) to be transformed.