Extremely rare animal believed to be extinct spotted in the wild for first time in over 100 years

It was caught on tape-ir.

After over a century of being considered regionally extinct, the South American tapir was spotted alive and well in Brazil in footage blowing up online.

In January, concealed cameras captured not one, but three of the trunk-toting rhinoceros relatives roaming the country’s Atlantic forest, DiarioAS reported.

“This challenge reflects the importance of protected areas and conservation efforts in the recovery of emblematic species” declared a spokesperson for Rio de Janeiro’s State Environmental Institute (INEA), which set up the camera traps.

“The spontaneous return of the tapirs is a sign that the forests of Rio de Janeiro are capable of sustaining large mammals again,” Marcelo Cupello, a biologist with INEA, told g1. Instituto Estadual do Ambiente

Before then, the last time one of these herbivores — which are the largest terrestrial animal in South America — had last been spotted in Rio de Janeiro state was in Serra dos Órgãos National Park in 1914, IFL Science reported.

They’d reportedly been increasingly threatened by urbanization, deforestation and illegal hunting, among other factors, and were eventually believed to have been extirpated from the area– until now.

The 108 photos and videos showed the mother tapir and her two calves walking through Cunhambebe State Park (PEC), a unit conservation project of 38,000 hectares established in 2008 to help save species on the brink.

Three of the critters were reportedly caught on camera. Instituto Estadual do Ambiente

A Brazilian tapir strolls about a zoo enclosure in the UK. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Footage uploaded to the park’s Instagram account shows the large-shnozzed critters snuffling up to the camera trap at night.

The re-emergence of these veritable “unicorns” has thrilled ecologists and conservationists, who see this as a landmark moment in the history of wildlife conservation.

“The spontaneous return of the tapirs is a sign that the forests of Rio de Janeiro are capable of sustaining large mammals again,” Marcelo Cupello, a biologist with INEA, told g1. “This demonstrates functional ecological connectivity, as these animals are using natural forest corridors.”

He added, “In other words, the local fauna still maintains a certain capacity for movement and dispersion.”

Growing up to 700 pounds, the South American tapir, or lowland tapir, is a vital member of rainforest ecosystems.

These cartoonish critters become known as “forest gardeners” due to their propensity for removing plants with their prehensile trunks and then dispersing seeds via their feces, according to tapirs.org.

They can also reportedly use their “Alf”-evoking appendage as a snorkel while swimming.

South American tapirs are one of four species of tapir alongside the Baird’s tapir, mountain tapir and Malayan tapir, all of which are classified as endangered.