''Protapirus'' (Latin: "before" (pro), + Brazilian Indian: "tapir" (tapira)) is an extinct genus of

tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inhabit ...

known from the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

and

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...

.The Paleobiology Database
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Taxonomy

The type species is ''Protapirus priscus'' from the Late Oligocene of Quercy, France. ''Protapirus'' is often considered the earliest true tapir, or at least a tapiroid who is the direct ancestor of the true tapir family (but not modern tapirs).

Distribution and history

The oldest species is the North American ''P. simplex'' from the

White River Formation The White River Formation is a geologic formation of the Paleogene Period, in the northern Great Plains and central Rocky Mountains, within the United States. It has been found in northeastern Colorado, Dawes County in western Nebraska, Badlands ...

. A later North American species is ''P. obliquidens'' From North America, the genus spread into Eurasia during the Oligocene, with five species known from the Oligocene and Miocene of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and a single species (''P. gromovae'') from

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

Description

They were of similar size to modern tapirs, but had more primitive features, such as premolars that were less molariform in shape. In comparison to more primitive tapiroids, ''Protapirus'' had retracted nasal region which may indicate the presence of a trunk. However, the nasals were not as shortened as in modern tapirs, so the proboscis would of likely been less prominent.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7251183 Prehistoric tapirs Prehistoric placental genera Oligocene odd-toed ungulates Miocene odd-toed ungulates White River Fauna Oligocene mammals of Europe Oligocene mammals of Asia Oligocene mammals of North America Miocene mammals of Europe Miocene mammals of Asia Miocene mammals of North America