Helaletidae

The Helaletidae are an extinct family of tapiroid, closely related and likely ancestral to the true tapirs, which contain Protapirus and all descendants.^[1] In alternative classifications, Helaletidae is treated as a subfamily within the Tapiridae, the Helaletinae.

Helaletidae Temporal range: Early Eocene - Miocene
Skeleton of Helaletes nanus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Perissodactyla
Superfamily:	Tapiroidea
Family:	†Helaletidae Osborn, 1892
Genera
†Colodon †Dilophodon †Helaletes †Heptodon †Heteraletes †Paracolodon †Plesiocolopirus †Thuliadanta

Members of the family are defined by having less bilophodont cheek teeth compared to other tapiroids.^[2]