Tapirella bairdii
Silhouette: Zimices · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
The Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), also known as the Central American tapir, is a species of tapir native to Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America. It is the largest of the three species of tapir native to the Americas, as well as the largest native land mammal in both Central and South America.
The Baird's tapir is named after the American naturalist Spencer Fullerton Baird, who traveled to Mexico in 1843 and observed the animals. However, the species was first documented by another American naturalist, W. T. White.
Like the other American tapirs (the mountain tapir and the South American tapir), the Baird's tapir is commonly called danta by people in all areas. In the regions around Oaxaca and Veracruz, it is referred to as the anteburro. Panamanians, and Colombians call it macho de monte, and in Belize, where the Baird's tapir is the national animal, it is known as the mountain cow.
In Mexico, it is called tzemen in Tzeltal; in Lacandon, it is called cash-i-tzimin, meaning "jungle horse" and in Tojolab'al it is called niguanchan, meaning "big animal". In Panama, the Guna people call the Baird's tapir moli in their colloquial language (Tule kaya), oloalikinyalilele... Wikipedia →
Recording0:10
2025
© brayner_fc · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 8 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 9 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Irazú Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
No species of the same family or order lives in Tortuguero National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Baird's Tapir sighting in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 19 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Baird's Tapir in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–August and October–November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Baird's Tapir sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Baird's Tapir sightings, Tortuguero National Park ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Corcovado National Park (Costa Rica, about 70%), Tenorio Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 50%) and Rincón de la Vieja National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Baird's Tapir is recorded against all the mammals logged in Tortuguero National Park (23 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
