Among an exotic plant scenario in the heart of the tropical forest of the Riviera Maya, just steps away from the Deer shelter and the Mayan ruins at Xcaret Park, visitors enter the home and Territory of the friendly tapir “Poloc” (which means chubby in Maya).

This shy and nocturnal animal is a native species of the Yucatan Peninsula and  in danger of extinction. Tapirs (Tapirus Bairdii) are large mammals which are often confused with hippos, anteaters and capybaras. Their closest living relatives are horses and rhinos, and they have a unique feature; a prominent long nose that is used to grab leaves and to snorkel while swimming.

Tapirs are strictly herbivorous and live close to water formations, where they stay immersed most of the time as a way to cool off from the jungle heat and, as a safe place from predators such as jaguars. Those who pay a visit to Xcaret´s tapir territory will commonly find this chubby creature lying inside his own natural pool.    

Tapirs have a unique role in the ecosystem as seed dispersers; which helps maintain the biological diversity of the tropical jungle where they live in such as the southeastern states of Mexico like Campeche, Chiapas and Quintana Roo. They are also one of the largest endangered land mammals, primarily because of overhunting and habitat loss due to pollution and large-scale construction.

Concerned on the tapir´s human threat and dramatic population decrease, in 2008 Xcaret eco-Park hosted the Fourth Tapir Symposium, which brought together a group of experts including biologists, environmental educators, captivity specialists, academics and international researchers dedicated to conserving tapirs and their habitat through strategic-action planning in countries where tapirs live.

All Xcaret Tickets include admission to Xcaret´s Tapir Territory, from the Xcaret Basic entrance to the most personalized Xcaret Tour (Xcaret Plus, Xcaret Two Days).