California tapirs
Encyclopedia
The California tapir is a term that is applied to either of two species of tapir
s that concurrently inhabited the North America
n continent during the Pleistocene era – Tapirus californicus and Tapirus merriami. Both species went extinct approximately 13,000 to 11,000 B.C. at the end of the last Ice Age
.
rocks on Ellesmere Island
, Canada
, which was then a temperate climate. By thirteen million years before present, tapirs very much like extant tapirs existed in Southern California
.
During the Pleistocene era, four species of tapirs are known to have inhabited the North American continent. Along with the California tapirs, the Vero or Florida tapir (Tapirus veroensis) was found in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee, and Cope
's tapir (Tapirus copei) from Pennsylvania to Florida.
, dire wolves
, American lions
and Paleo-Indians.
A number of fossils of Tapirus californicus have been collected at the La Brea Tar Pits
in the modern urban heart of Los Angeles
, California
. The cluster of tar pits have trapped and preserved many specimens of Plestocene era fauna.
Childs Frick
, Tapirus merriami lived at the same time, and perhaps many of the same locations as Tapirus californicus but is believed to have preferred more inland habitats of Southern California and Arizona. Like Tapirus californicus and all living tapirs, it is also believed to have been a relatively solitary species. Of the four known Pleistocene era tapirs found on the North American continent, Tapirus merriami was the largest. Tapirus merriami was a stout-bodied herbivore with short legs, a large tapering head and a short, muscular proboscis adept at stripping leaves from shrubs.
Tapir
A Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
s that concurrently inhabited the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n continent during the Pleistocene era – Tapirus californicus and Tapirus merriami. Both species went extinct approximately 13,000 to 11,000 B.C. at the end of the last Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
.
Early history
Tapirs have a long history on the North American continent. Fossils of ancient tapirs in North America can be dated back to 50 million year-old EoceneEocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
rocks on Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, which was then a temperate climate. By thirteen million years before present, tapirs very much like extant tapirs existed in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
.
During the Pleistocene era, four species of tapirs are known to have inhabited the North American continent. Along with the California tapirs, the Vero or Florida tapir (Tapirus veroensis) was found in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee, and Cope
Edward Drinker Cope
Edward Drinker Cope was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper at the age of nineteen...
's tapir (Tapirus copei) from Pennsylvania to Florida.
Tapirus californicus
Tapirus californicus, like most extant tapirs, were believed to have been largely solitary animals and inhabited primarily the coastal regions of Southern California (although one specimen has been found in Oregon), prefering forested environments and possibly grasslands near rivers and lakes. The maximum weight of Tapirus californicus was approximately 225 kg (496 lbs.) and the estimated body length was approximately 140 cm (4.6 ft), although no known complete fossil skeletal remains have been collected. Study of the skull shows that Tapirus californicus had shortened nasal bones to allow for attachment of strong muscles and ligaments to form a fleshy, prehensile snout like all extant tapirs. Their diet was herbivorous, and is believed to consisted of shrubs, leaves, aquatic plants, fruit and seeds. Tapirus californicus was most likely prey to such predators as smilodonSmilodon
Smilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers...
, dire wolves
Dire Wolf
The Dire Wolf, Canis dirus, is an extinct carnivorous mammal of the genus Canis, and was most common in North America and South America from the Irvingtonian stage to the Rancholabrean stage of the Pleistocene epoch living 1.80 Ma – 10,000 years ago, existing for approximately .- Relationships...
, American lions
American lion
The American lion — also known as the North American lion, Naegele’s giant jaguar or American cave lion — is an extinct lion of the family Felidae, endemic to North America during the Pleistocene epoch , existing for approximately...
and Paleo-Indians.
A number of fossils of Tapirus californicus have been collected at the La Brea Tar Pits
La Brea Tar Pits
The La Brea Tar Pits are a cluster of tar pits around which Hancock Park was formed, in the urban heart of Los Angeles. Asphaltum or tar has seeped up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years. The tar is often covered with water...
in the modern urban heart of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The cluster of tar pits have trapped and preserved many specimens of Plestocene era fauna.
Tapirus merriami
First discovered and described in 1921 by American vertebrate paleontologistPaleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
Childs Frick
Childs Frick
Childs Frick was an American vertebrate paleontologist.He was a trustee of the American Museum of Natural History and a major benefactor of its Department of Paleontology, which in 1916 began a long partnership with him. He established its Frick Laboratory...
, Tapirus merriami lived at the same time, and perhaps many of the same locations as Tapirus californicus but is believed to have preferred more inland habitats of Southern California and Arizona. Like Tapirus californicus and all living tapirs, it is also believed to have been a relatively solitary species. Of the four known Pleistocene era tapirs found on the North American continent, Tapirus merriami was the largest. Tapirus merriami was a stout-bodied herbivore with short legs, a large tapering head and a short, muscular proboscis adept at stripping leaves from shrubs.