---
title: "Mountain Tapir"
description: "Tapirus pinchaque — Mammals. The mountain tapir, also known as the Andean tapir or woolly tapir (Tapirus pinchaque), is the smallest of the four widely recognized species of tapir."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/mountain-tapir
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Mountain Tapir

> Tapirus pinchaque — Mammals. The mountain tapir, also known as the Andean tapir or woolly tapir (Tapirus pinchaque), is the smallest of the four widely recognized species of tapir.

- Scientific name: *Tapirus pinchaque*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammals)
- Habitats: `mountains` (Mountains)
- iNaturalist observations: 414
- Wikidata: [Q223960](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q223960)
- iNaturalist taxon: [43354](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/43354)

## Names

- en: Mountain Tapir
- de: Bergtapir
- es: Danta Cordillerana
- fr: Tapir des Andes
- nl: Bergtapir
- pt: Anta-de-montanha
- pl: Tapir górski

## Countries with the most observations

EC (229), CO (108)

## Summary

The mountain tapir, also known as the Andean tapir or woolly tapir (Tapirus pinchaque), is the smallest of the four widely recognized species of tapir. It is found only in certain portions of the Andean Mountain Range in northwestern South America. As such, it is the only tapir species to live outside of tropical rainforests in the wild. It is most easily distinguished from other tapirs by its thick woolly coat and white lips.
The species name comes from the term "Pinchaque", an imaginary beast said to inhabit the same regions as the mountain tapir.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_tapir

## Photo

![Mountain Tapir](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/mountain-tapir/medium.jpg)

Photo: Adam Jackson · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/90260335

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/mountain-tapir?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).