World Tapir Day is a holiday observed on April 27th that celebrates one of the oddest-looking and most interesting animals found in Central and South America. For anyone who has never heard of the tapir, let us tell you a little bit about it.

This large herbivorous animal belongs to the family Tapiridae and is shaped somewhat like a big pig. They also have a prehensile nose trunk and live in the jungle and forest regions of Central and South America, as well as in Southeast Asia.

They are about 2 meters long, stand about a meter high, and weigh anywhere from 330 to 770 pounds. They are amazing-looking creatures for sure, so let’s take the time to learn more about them on this holiday.

The History of World Tapir Day

Although we don’t have much information on this holiday, we do know that it was created in 2008 by tapir conservationists and enthusiasts. They created this holiday to raise awareness about this animal and to increase the public’s awareness of its endangered status.

Due to a loss of available habitat and increasing pressure from hunters, this species is in real danger of going extinct. Hopefully, this holiday and the thousands of passionate conservationists working towards their preservation can make a difference.

Some Amazing Facts About Tapirs

Since we understand that this holiday article may be the first time that many people have even heard about tapirs, we thought that we’d take a few moments to list some of the facts that we learned about this animal.

• Tapirs are some of the most primitive mammals living today. That’s why they’ve been called living fossils.
• Tapirs are related to horses and rhinos.
• Tapir calves look like a cross between piglets and fawns. This coloring allows them to blend into their surroundings.
• Tapirs are great swimmers and they can even forage underwater.
• The average tapir will eat 75 pounds of fruit, foliage, and berries every day to survive.
• There are four species of tapir: Baird’s tapir, Malayan tapir, Lowland tapir, and Mountain tapir.

Observing World Tapir Day

This holiday can be observed by taking the time to learn more about tapirs and their current predicament—a predicament that is the result of human activity.

It’s also a good day to give time and/or money to the organizations working to protect these magnificent herbivores. And while people are observing this holiday, they can take the time to use the hashtag #WorldTapirDay on social media.