The genus
Tapirus first appeared during the Middle
Miocene (around 16-10 million years ago), known fossils in both Europe (
T. telleri) and North America (
T. johnsoni and
T. polkensis). The youngest tapir in Europe,
Tapirus arvernensis became extinct at the end of the Pliocene, around 2.6 million years ago.
Tapirus dispersed into South America during the Early Pleistocene as part of the
Great American Interchange, around 2.6-1 million years ago. Tapirs suffered considerable extinctions at the end of the Pleistocene, and went completely extinct north of southern
Mexico.
Fossil species • †
Tapirus arvernensis Croizet & Jobert, 1828 • †
Tapirus augustus Matthew & Granger, 1923 - Formerly
Megatapirus • †
Tapirus californicus Merriam, 1912 • †
Tapirus cristatellus Winge, 1906 • †
Tapirus greslebini Rusconi, 1934 • †
Tapirus haysii Simpson, 1945 • †
Tapirus johnsoni Schultz et al., 1975 • †
Tapirus lundeliusi Hulbert, 2010 • †
Tapirus merriami Frick, 1921 • †
Tapirus mesopotamicus Ferrero & Noriega, 2007 • †
Tapirus oliverasi Ubilla, 1983 - Invalid • †
Tapirus polkensis Olsen, 1860 • †
Tapirus rioplatensis Cattoi, 1957 • †
Tapirus rondoniensis Holanda
et al., 2011 • †
Tapirus sanyuanensis Huang & Fang, 1991 • †
Tapirus tarijensis Ameghino, 1902 • †
Tapirus veroensis Sellards, 1918 • †
Tapirus webbi Hulbert, 2005 ==References==