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They are the South American tapir, the Malayan tapir, Baird's tapir, and the mountain tapir. In 2013, a group of researchers said they had identified a fifth species of tapir, the kabomani tapir . However, the existence of the kabomani tapir as a distinct species has been widely disputed, and recent genetic evidence further suggests that it ...
The Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), also known as the Central American tapir, is a species of tapir native to Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America. [4] It is the largest of the three species of tapir native to the Americas, as well as the largest native land mammal in both Central and South America.
The round, dark ears have distinctive white edges. Newborn tapirs have a dark brown coat, with small white spots and stripes along the body. The South American tapir can attain a body length of 1.8 to 2.5 m (5 ft 11 in to 8 ft 2 in) with a 5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in) short stubby tail and an average weight around 225 kg (496 lb).
The Malayan tapir is the largest of the four extant tapir species and grows to between 1.8 and 2.5 m (5 ft 11 in and 8 ft 2 in) in length, not counting a stubby tail of only 5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in) in length, and stands 90 to 110 cm (2 ft 11 in to 3 ft 7 in) tall.
The youngest tapir in Europe, Tapirus arvernensis became extinct at the end of the Pliocene, around 2.6 million years ago. [7] Tapirus dispersed into South America during the Early Pleistocene as part of the Great American Interchange , around 2.6-1 million years ago.
Tapirus veroensis is thought to have been more tolerant of cold environments than most living tapirs, similar to the living mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque). [3] It was mid-sized for a tapir, comparable in size to Baird's tapir or the South American tapir , with an estimated body weight of approximately 230 kilograms (510 lb). [ 4 ]
On the basis of morphometric analysis of its teeth, it is concluded that Tapirus mesopotamicus is significantly smaller than the larger fossil or living tapirs, such as Tapirus indicus, Tapirus oliverasi, Tapirus tarijensis, and Tapirus haysii; and that it was similar in size to Tapirus terrestris and Tapirus rondoniensis. [6]
Tapirus polkensis, the pygmy tapir, is a small prehistoric tapir that lived in North America during the late Miocene and early Pliocene. [1] T. polkensis had an estimated mass of around 125 kg (276 lb), [ 1 ] making it smaller than any extant tapir.