Lowland Tapir vs mountain paca

Tapirus terrestris compared with Cuniculus taczanowskii

Key Differences

• Lowland Tapir is Vulnerable while mountain paca is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Lowland Tapir	mountain paca
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Perissodactyla (Odd-toed Ungulates)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Tapiridae	Cuniculidae
Genus	Tapirus	Cuniculus
Species	Tapirus terrestris	Cuniculus taczanowskii

Evolutionary Relationship

Lowland Tapir and mountain paca share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Lowland Tapir

VU — Vulnerable

mountain paca

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Lowland Tapir	mountain paca
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Lowland Tapir

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

mountain paca

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇻🇪 Venezuela