Extreme fighting and vocalisations in Tapirus bairdii: observations from aguadas of Calakmul, social arenas for the species

Abstract

We report and describe unusual types of behaviour of fighting and whistling in a species considered shy and calm. Baird’s tapir is the largest of all Neotropical mammals and lives in dense well-conserved tropical forests in America. For ten years, in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve of Southern Mexico, we have monitored a tapir population in ponds locally named aguadas that serve as social arenas for the species. Recently, we obtained 97 video records in which some tapirs get involved in serious fights and perform other types of behaviour related probably to courtship, including several types of whistles. We describe what we recorded and interpret these types of behaviour whenever possible. These rare types of tapir behaviour can explain several of the wounds and scars on many adults of the population and help us better understand the social dynamics of this shy and endangered species of Neotropical ungulate. We hope that all this information can help tapir conservation.