- Every Tuesday, Mongabay brings you a new episode of Candid Animal Cam, our show featuring animals caught on camera traps around the world and hosted by Romi Castagnino, our writer and conservation scientist.
Camera traps bring you closer to the secretive natural world and are an important conservation tool to study wildlife. This week we’re meeting one of the largest mammals in South America: the lowland tapir, also known as the South American or Brazilian tapir.
The South American tapir (Tapirus terrestres) is found in a variety of habitats and is largely nocturnal and fantastic swimmers. Tapirs have a long, flexible, prehensile snout which is perfect to grab leaves and branches. Sometimes, they even use their mini-trunks as a snorkel when swimming. Watch the video to learn more about this species!
Special thanks to the San Miguelito Jaguar Conservation Ranch for sharing this footage with us.
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Banner image: Lowland tapir by Rhett A. Butler
Romi Castagnino is Mongabay’s bilingual writer. Find her on Twitter and Instagram: @romi_Castagnino