''Tapirus haysii'' is an
extinct
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
species of
tapir
Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a Suidae, pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk (proboscis). Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, South and Centr ...
that inhabited North America during the early to middle
Pleistocene Epoch
The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
(~2.5–1 Ma).
These fossil remains of two juvenile ''T. haysii'' were collected in
Hillsborough County, Florida on 31 August 1963.
It was classified as the second largest North American tapir; the first being ''
T. merriami''.
Taxonomy
''Tapirus copei'' is a
junior synonym
In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently.
...
.
''Taprirus haysii'' is placed in the subgenus ''Helicotapirus'', which also includes ''
Tapirus veroensis'' and ''
Tapirus lundeliusi.
''
References
Prehistoric tapirs
Quaternary mammals of North America
Fossil taxa described in 1945
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