Giant tapir
Extinct species of mammal / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The giant tapir (Tapirus augustus)[1][2][3] is an extinct species of tapir that lived in southern China, Vietnam and Laos,[4] with reports suggesting it also lived in Taiwan,[5] Java, and potentially Borneo.[6] The species has been recorded from Middle and Late Pleistocene.[7] There is only weak evidence for a Holocene survival.[8] Tapirus augustus was larger than any living tapir,[1] with an estimated weight of about 623 kilograms (1,373 lb).[9] The species was also placed in its own genus of Megatapirus, however, it is now conventionally placed within Tapirus.
Quick Facts Giant tapir Temporal range: Middle to Late Pleistocene, Scientific classification ...
Giant tapir Temporal range: Middle to Late Pleistocene | |
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Skeletal reconstruction of the holotype. | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Perissodactyla |
Family: | Tapiridae |
Genus: | Tapirus |
Species: | †T. augustus |
Binomial name | |
†Tapirus augustus Matthew & Granger, 1923 | |
Synonyms | |
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