On the Tapir's Tapering Trail.

• Author: Cohn, Jeffrey P.

Although this shy ungulate may play an important role in maintaining tropical Forests, its numbers are rapidly declining

The sounds of a large animal chewing and spitting on a dark Amazonian night didn't alarm wildlife biologist Richard Bodmer. Although close enough to hear the toothsome gnashing, Bodmer remained calm. In fact, the noises emanating from a swampy area of rain forest in northeastern Peru were like music to his ears. They were the telltale sounds of a lowland tapir eating the fruit of the palm tree Mauritia flexuosa, a tapir staple, then spitting the large, hard seeds out the side of its mouth.

Not just a familiar sound, the tapir eating one palm fruit after another also symbolized the role these animals play in perpetuating rain forests. Spitting out seeds in wet areas, the tapir was inadvertently helping ensure a new growth of Mauritia flexuosa palms. The tapir was also guaranteeing that the palms would grow as usual with many trees clumped closely together, thereby providing tomorrow's tapirs a lot of easily obtainable, favorite food within a relatively small area.

By dispersing seeds as well as selectively eating the fruits, flowers, leaves, stems and even bark of various trees, shrubs, grasses, and other plants, tapirs help determine what grows where in the tropics. They also knock over small trees in some places, creating openings in the otherwise thick rain forest. "Tapirs are the architects of the forest," says Bodmer, assistant professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida.

Maybe so, but tapirs are also probably the least well-known large animal. Shy, solitary, and nocturnal creatures, they are rarely seen by people and, until recently, little studied by wildlife biologists. Although found from Mexico to Argentina in Latin America and from southern Thailand to Sumatra in Asia, tapirs are nowhere very numerous. Even if you encounter one, it is likely to turn and run, quickly disappearing into the dense vegetation.

In recent years, though, scientists, conservationists, and government officials have taken a stronger interest in tapirs. That is due to a realization that tapirs' numbers are declining worldwide, says Daniel Brooks, a Houston, Texas-based independent wildlife biologist. Brooks co-wrote a 1997 report and action plan on tapir conservation published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). "It's scary to think that animals that have been around for as long as tapirs could disappear," Brooks adds.

At first glance, tapirs do not seem worth much attention. Adults have no distinguishing features, such as horns, antlers, or stripes, nor do Latin American tapirs have bright coloring; they are dull black or gray. With thick bodies, short, stubby legs, and a flexible, enlarged upper lip, tapirs look like a cross between a small elephant and a large pig. Nor are they particularly intelligent. "Tapirs are not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree," notes Lewis Greene, director of the Prospect Park Zoo in New York.

Nevertheless, tapirs warrant a second look. For one thing, they are Latin America's largest land animal. Adults can reach eight feet in length, stand four feet tall, and weigh more than 650 pounds. For another, in contrast to their parents, young tapirs possess blotchy white stripes and spots that help them blend into the mottled, sun-dappled undergrowth. "They look like little watermelons," Greene says. "If only they stayed that color we could interest a lot more people in them." Young tapirs do not assume adult coloration until they are six months old.

Tapirs are actually four different species, three of which live in Latin America. The Central American, or Baird's, is probably the best known tapir. It ranges from southern Mexico to the western parts of Colombia and Ecuador. The lowland, or Brazilian tapir, is the most widespread and probably most numerous. It is found in tropical rain forests east of the Andes from Venezuela and Colombia to northern Argentina. The third, the mountain or woolly, is the least well-known and rarest tapir. It lives in the high Andes of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, but probably has disappeared from Venezuela.

The Malayan tapir, the fourth...