''Tapirus'' is a 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 ...

which contains the three living American tapir species. The

Malayan tapir The Malayan tapir (''Tapirus indicus''), also called Asian tapir, Asiatic tapir and Indian tapir, is the only tapir species native to Southeast Asia from the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra. It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since ...

is usually included in ''Tapirus'' as well, although some authorities have moved it into its own genus, ''

Acrocodia The Malayan tapir (''Tapirus indicus''), also called Asian tapir, Asiatic tapir and Indian tapir, is the only tapir species native to Southeast Asia from the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra. It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List sinc ...

''.

Extant species

The

Kabomani tapir The South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi ''tapi'ira''), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, the ''anta'' (Portuguese), and ''la sachavaca'' (literally "bushco ...

was at one point recognized as another living member of the genus, but is now considered to be nested within ''T. terrestris''.

Evolution

''Tapirus'' first appeared in the

Late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...

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 ...

, with ''

Tapirus webbi ''Tapirus webbi'' is an extinct species 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 ...

'' perhaps the oldest known fossil species. ''Tapirus'' spread into

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

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 ...

during the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Tapirus cristatellus ''Tapirus cristatellus'' is an extinct species of tapir from the Pleistocene of South America. Remains are known from Brazil, specifically the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, ...

''. Tapirs suffered large-scale extinctions at the end of the Pleistocene, and went completely extinct north of southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Fossil species

*†''

Tapirus arvernensis ''Tapirus'' is a genus of tapir which contains the three living American tapir species. The Malayan tapir is usually included in ''Tapirus'' as well, although some authorities have moved it into its own genus, '' Acrocodia''. Extant species Th ...

'' Croizet & Jobert, 1828 *†''

Tapirus augustus The giant tapir (''Tapirus augustus'') is an extinct species of tapir that lived in southern China, Vietnam and Laos, with reports suggesting it also lived in Taiwan, Java, and potentially Borneo. The species has been recorded from Middle and La ...

'' Matthew & Granger, 1923 - Formerly ''

Megatapirus The giant tapir (''Tapirus augustus'') is an extinct species of tapir that lived in southern China, Vietnam and Laos, with reports suggesting it also lived in Taiwan, Java, and potentially Borneo. The species has been recorded from Middle and La ...

'' *†''

Tapirus californicus ''Tapirus californicus'', the California tapir, is an extinct species of tapir that inhabited North America during the Pleistocene. It became extinct about 13,000 years ago. Like other perissodactyls, tapirs originated in North America and liv ...

'' Merriam, 1912 *†''

Tapirus copei ''Tapirus copei'', or Cope's tapir, is an extinct species of tapir that inhabited North America during the early to middle Pleistocene Epoch (~2.5–1 Ma). The fossil remains of two juvenile ''T. copei'' were collected in Hillsborough Count ...

'' Simpson, 1945 *†''

Tapirus cristatellus ''Tapirus cristatellus'' is an extinct species of tapir from the Pleistocene of South America. Remains are known from Brazil, specifically the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, ...

'' Winge, 1906 *†'' Tapirus greslebini'' Rusconi, 1934 *†'' Tapirus johnsoni'' Schultz et al., 1975 *†''

Tapirus lundeliusi ''Tapirus lundeliusi'' is an extinct species of tapir that lived in Florida in the early Pleistocene. It was similar in size and shape to the still-living mountain tapir The mountain tapir, also known as the Andean tapir or woolly tapir (''Tap ...

'' Hulbert, 2010 *†''

Tapirus merriami ''Tapirus merriami'', commonly called Merriam's tapir, is an extinct species of tapir which inhabited North America during the Pleistocene. Early history Tapirs have a long history on the North American continent. Fossils of ancient tapirs in ...

'' Frick, 1921 *†''

Tapirus mesopotamicus ''Tapirus mesopotamicus'' is an extinct species of tapir that lived in South America during the Pleistocene. It is considered a possible ancestor of all extant South American tapirs. Description This species was originally described by B. S. ...

'' Ferrero & Noriega, 2007 *†''

Tapirus oliverasi ''Tapirus oliverasi'' is likely an invalid extinct species of tapir from South America. ''T. oliverasi'' was described based on dentary remains from the Early Pleistocene deposits at the Libertad Formation in Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officia ...

'' Ubilla, 1983 - Invalid *†''

Tapirus polkensis ''Tapirus polkensis'', the pygmy tapir, is a small prehistoric tapir that lived in North America during the late Miocene and early Pliocene. ''T. polkensis'' may have lived in swamps, where it would have been preyed on by ancestors of modern Amer ...

'' Olsen, 1860 *†''

Tapirus rioplatensis ''Tapirus rioplatensis'' is an extinct species of tapir that lived in South American swamps and forests during the Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted ...

'' Cattoi, 1957 *†''

Tapirus rondoniensis ''Tapirus rondoniensis'' is an extinct species of large sized tapir that lived in northwestern parts of Brazil during the Pleistocene. Fossils of the species were found in the Río Madeira Formation of Rondônia, after which the species is name ...

'' Holanda ''et al''., 2011 *†'' Tapirus sanyuanensis'' Huang & Fang, 1991 *†'' Tapirus simpsoni'' Schultz et al., 1975 *†'' Tapirus sinensis'' Owen, 1870 *†''

Tapirus tarijensis ''Tapirus tarijensis'' is an extinct species of tapir that lived during the Pleistocene epoch. Fossils of the species have been found in the Tarija Formation Tarija or San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa is a city in southern Bolivia. Foun ...

'' Ameghino, 1902 *†''

Tapirus veroensis ''Tapirus veroensis'', commonly called the vero tapir, is an extinct tapir species that lived in the areas of modern-day Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, and Tennessee. ''Tapirus veronensis'' is thought to have gone extinct around 11,000 years ...

'' Sellards, 1918 *†''

'' Hulbert, 2005

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q128001 Mammal genera Taxa named by Mathurin Jacques Brisson Tapirs