Tapir

Tapir; Temporal range: Early Oligocene – Recent
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Perissodactyla
Clade:	Tapiromorpha
Suborder:	Ceratomorpha
Superfamily:	Tapiroidea
Family:	Tapiridae; Gray, 1821
Type genus
	Tapirus; Brisson, 1762
Genera
	About 15 †Eotapirus Cerdeno & Ginsburg, 1988 ; †Hesperaletes Colbert, 2006 ; †Heteraletes Peterson, 1932 ; †Miotapirus Schlaikjer, 1937 ; †Nexuotapirus Albright, 1998 ; †Palaeotapirus Filhol, 1888 ; †Paratapirus Depéret, 1902 ; †Plesiocolopirus Schoch, 1989 ; †Plesiotapirus Qiu, Yan & Sun, 1991 ; †Protapirus Filhol, 1877 (=†Tanyops Marsh, 1894) ; †Selenolophodon Chang & Zhai, 1978 ; †Tapiravus Marsh, 1877 ; †Tapiriscus Kretzoi, 1951 ; †Teleolophus Matthew & Granger, 1925 (=†Pachylophus Tong & Lei, 1984) ; Tapirus Brisson, 1762 ; Tapirella Palmer, 1903 (currently a synonym or subgenus of Tapirus) ; Acrocodia Goldman, 1913 (currently a synonym or subgenus of Tapirus) ; †Megatapirus Matthew & Granger, 1923 (currently a subgenus of Tapirus);
Synonyms
	Elasmognathinae Gray, 1867;

Tapirs (/ˈteɪpər, ˈteɪpɪər, təˈpɪər/ TAY-pər, TAY-peer, tə-PEER) 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 and Southeast Asia. They are one of three extant branches of Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates), alongside equines and rhinoceroses. Only a single genus, Tapirus, is currently extant. Tapirs migrated into South America during the Pleistocene epoch from North America after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama as part of the Great American Interchange. Tapirs were formerly present across North America, but became extinct in the region at the end of the Late Pleistocene, around 12,000 years ago.

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