Tapir , ungulate mammal with a bulky body, short legs, a short tail, and a head characterized by a short, flexible proboscis, small eyes, and erect ears. The animals live in dense forests and grassy areas of Central and South America and Asia. When tapirs are threatened, they flee to the water or into dense underbrush for safety; their squeal seems to be a means of communication with other members of the family group in the thick foliage of the rain forest. They feed on leaves, fruit, and other vegetation. The tapir is so like the ancestral remains of an animal from the Pliocene Epoch that the two are classified in the same genus. The only enemies of tapirs, in addition to humans, are members of the cat family. Habitat loss, due to clearcutting, and hunting have brought the two species found in the northern Andes and Panama to the edge of extinction .