Central American tapirs are large herbivorous mammals that can be found in all of the Five Forests. Classified as endangered by the IUCN they are vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation.
The Central American tapir is found in Oaxaca Province in Mexico through parts of Central America, including the western side of the Andean mountain range in Colombia (the Darien). They live in rainforests, lower montane forests, deciduous forests, flooded grasslands and marsh areas. The major threats to the species are habitat destruction and fragmentation and hunting throughout its range. Deaths have been recorded through collisions with automobiles, particularly in Belize. A 2006 population estimate by the Tapir Specialist Group suggested that there are less than 5,500 Central American tapir remaining in the wild.