Behaviour of Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) in Captivity

Iván Lira Torres; Epigmenio Cruz Aldán; Sergio Guerrero Sánchez

Articles

Vol. 13 No. 16 (2004)

Behaviour of Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) in Captivity

Iván Lira Torres
Epigmenio Cruz Aldán^▸^▾
Sergio Guerrero Sánchez^▸^▾

Submitted: 27 June 2025
Published: 2004-12-01

Abstract

The individual and reproductive behaviour of a pair of Central American tapirs, Tapirus bairdii, was observed. The adult pair were maintained in captivity in Miguel Alvarez del Toro Regional Zoo, in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico. By means of systematic recording and focal observations we obtained 5264 behavioural events, which were described and classified in 27 categories. Of this total, 2586 events corresponded to the female and 2678 to the male. Most of these events (2424) were emitted by the female, which represented 93.73%. Of the total female behaviours observed, 2245 (92.69%) were individual records and 177 (7.30%) were reproductive. In the case of received events by the female, 58 (35.80%) were individual and 104 (64.19%) were reproductive ones. In the case of the male, 2570 were emitted events (95,97%), and 108 were received (4.03%). Of total events emitted by the male, 2344 (91.20%) represented individual records and 226 (8.80%) were reproductive. In the case of the received events, 42 (38.88%) were individual and 66 (61.11%) were reproductive. Although many of the individual behaviours were similar, they demonstrated noticeable differences regarding courtship and mating. Both animals displayed intense activity in these aspects.

References

Altmann, J. 1974. Observational study of behaviour: sampling methods. Behaviour, 49:227-267.
Brooks, D. M., Bodmer R. E., & Matola. S. 1997. Tapirs: Status, Survey, and Conservation Acton Plan. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
Byers, A. J. & M. Bekoff. 1981. Social, Spacing and Cooperative Behaviour of the Collared Peccary, Tayassu tajacu. J. Mamm., 62(4): 767-785.
Cruz, A. E. 1992. Comportamiento Social y Reproductivo del Pecarí de Labios Blancos Tayassu pecari en cautiverio. Tesis de Licenciatura. Escuela de Biología. Instituto de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas. México. 97 p.
Cruz, A. E. 2001. Hábitos alimentarios e impacto de la actividad humana sobre el tapir en la Reserva de la Biosfera La Sepultura, Chiapas, México. Tesis de Maestría, El Colegio de la Frontera SUR, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, México. 35 pp.
Díaz, N. M. 2001. El efecto del enriquecimiento ambiental sobre los niveles de actividad, el uso de espacio y la interacción social en pumas (Puma concolor) y linces (Lynx rufus) albergados en el Zoológico Los Coyotes. Tesis de Licenciatura. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. D. F. México. 3-14 pp.
Drickamer, L.C. & S. H. Vassey. 1982. Animal Behaviour. Second Edition. The Maple.– Vail Manufacturing Group U.S.A. 32 – 56 pp.
Emmons, L. H. y Feer, F. 1997. Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, a field guide. Second ed., University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, USA. 315 pp.
Foerster, C. R. 1998. Ecología de la Danta Centroamericana Tapirus bairdii en un Bosque Húmedo Tropical de Costa Rica. Tesis de Maestría, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica. 235 pp.
Hunsaker, D. H. 1965. Vocalization of the South America Tapir (T. terrestris). Animal Behav. 13:69-79.
Lehner, N. P. 1979. Handbook of ethological methods. Garland STPM. New York. U.S.A. 215 pp.
Lira, T. I. 1999. Identificación de Endoparásitos en Tapirus bairdii en “La Reserva de la Biosfera La Sepultura” y El Zoológico Regional “Miguel Álvarez del Toro”, Chipas, México. Tesis de Licenciatura. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. D. F. México. 40 p.
Lira, T. I. 2002. Ecología del Tapirus bairdii en la Reserva de la Biosfera El Triunfo (Polígono I), Chiapas, México. Tesis de Maestría, El Colegio de la Frontera SUR, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, México. 51 pp.
Naranjo E. J. y E. Cruz. 1998. Ecología del Tapir Tapirus bardii en la Sierra Madre de Chiapas, México. Acta Zoológica Mexicana (n.s.) 73:111-123.
Terwilleger, V. J. 1978. Natural history of Baird’s tapir on Barro Colorado Island, Panama Canal Zone. Biotropica 10 (3):211-220.
Williams, K. D. 1984. The Central America Tapir (Tapirus bairdii Gill) in northwestern Costa Rica. Unpubl. Ph. D. Dissert., Michigan State Univ., 83 pp.

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Keywords

Behavior
Central American tapir

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Lira Torres, I., Cruz Aldán, E., & Guerrero Sánchez, S. (2004). Behaviour of Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) in Captivity. Tapir Conservation, 13(16), 24-31. http://www.tapirconservation.org/index.php/tc/article/view/69

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[1] Altmann, J. 1974. Observational study of behaviour: sampling methods. Behaviour, 49:227-267.

[2] Brooks, D. M., Bodmer R. E., & Matola. S. 1997. Tapirs: Status, Survey, and Conservation Acton Plan. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

[3] Byers, A. J. & M. Bekoff. 1981. Social, Spacing and Cooperative Behaviour of the Collared Peccary, Tayassu tajacu. J. Mamm., 62(4): 767-785.

[4] Cruz, A. E. 1992. Comportamiento Social y Reproductivo del Pecarí de Labios Blancos Tayassu pecari en cautiverio. Tesis de Licenciatura. Escuela de Biología. Instituto de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas. México. 97 p.

[5] Cruz, A. E. 2001. Hábitos alimentarios e impacto de la actividad humana sobre el tapir en la Reserva de la Biosfera La Sepultura, Chiapas, México. Tesis de Maestría, El Colegio de la Frontera SUR, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, México. 35 pp.

[6] Díaz, N. M. 2001. El efecto del enriquecimiento ambiental sobre los niveles de actividad, el uso de espacio y la interacción social en pumas (Puma concolor) y linces (Lynx rufus) albergados en el Zoológico Los Coyotes. Tesis de Licenciatura. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. D. F. México. 3-14 pp.

[7] Drickamer, L.C. & S. H. Vassey. 1982. Animal Behaviour. Second Edition. The Maple.– Vail Manufacturing Group U.S.A. 32 – 56 pp.

[8] Emmons, L. H. y Feer, F. 1997. Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, a field guide. Second ed., University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, USA. 315 pp.

[9] Foerster, C. R. 1998. Ecología de la Danta Centroamericana Tapirus bairdii en un Bosque Húmedo Tropical de Costa Rica. Tesis de Maestría, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica. 235 pp.

[10] Hunsaker, D. H. 1965. Vocalization of the South America Tapir (T. terrestris). Animal Behav. 13:69-79.

[11] Lehner, N. P. 1979. Handbook of ethological methods. Garland STPM. New York. U.S.A. 215 pp.

[12] Lira, T. I. 1999. Identificación de Endoparásitos en Tapirus bairdii en “La Reserva de la Biosfera La Sepultura” y El Zoológico Regional “Miguel Álvarez del Toro”, Chipas, México. Tesis de Licenciatura. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. D. F. México. 40 p.

[13] Lira, T. I. 2002. Ecología del Tapirus bairdii en la Reserva de la Biosfera El Triunfo (Polígono I), Chiapas, México. Tesis de Maestría, El Colegio de la Frontera SUR, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, México. 51 pp.

[14] Naranjo E. J. y E. Cruz. 1998. Ecología del Tapir Tapirus bardii en la Sierra Madre de Chiapas, México. Acta Zoológica Mexicana (n.s.) 73:111-123.

[15] Terwilleger, V. J. 1978. Natural history of Baird’s tapir on Barro Colorado Island, Panama Canal Zone. Biotropica 10 (3):211-220.

[16] Williams, K. D. 1984. The Central America Tapir (Tapirus bairdii Gill) in northwestern Costa Rica. Unpubl. Ph. D. Dissert., Michigan State Univ., 83 pp.