Tapirus pinchaque is the scientific name given to the mountain tapir in the 1700s. In Quechua, "pinchaque" means ghost—a fitting name for a creature that has always been elusive, and even more so today, with fewer than 2,500 individuals remaining across Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador.

This article follows the story of Daniel Marin, a photographer who embarked on a four-year journey to capture the mountain tapir through his lens.