Tapirus polkensis

Tapirus polkensis; Temporal range: Late Miocene–Early Pliocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Fossil replicas on display at the Gray Fossil Site & Museum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Perissodactyla
Family:	Tapiridae
Genus:	Tapirus
Species:	†T. polkensis
Binomial name
	†Tapirus polkensis; Olsen, 1960

Tapirus polkensis, the pygmy tapir, is a small prehistoric tapir that lived in North America during the late Miocene and early Pliocene.^[1] T. polkensis had an estimated mass of around 125 kg (276 lb),^[1] making it smaller than any extant tapir.

The Gray Fossil Site in northeast Tennessee is home to the world's largest known fossil assemblage of T. polkensis.

Palaeoecology

Analysis of its tooth enamel δ¹³C values reveals T. polkensis to have been a forest-dwelling browser.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b Richard C. Hulbert Jr.; Steven C. Wallace; Walter E. Klippel & Paul W. Parmalee (2009). "Cranial morphology and systematics of an extraordinary sample of the Late Neogene dwarf tapir, Tapirus polkensis (Olsen)". Journal of Paleontology. 83 (2): 238–262. doi:10.1666/08-062.1.
^ DeSantis, Larisa R.G.; Wallace, Steven C. (27 August 2008). "Neogene forests from the Appalachians of Tennessee, USA: Geochemical evidence from fossil mammal teeth". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 266 (1–2): 59–68. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2008.03.032. Retrieved 11 January 2025 – via Elsevier Science Direct.

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[Hulbert-1] Richard C. Hulbert Jr.; Steven C. Wallace; Walter E. Klippel & Paul W. Parmalee (2009). "Cranial morphology and systematics of an extraordinary sample of the Late Neogene dwarf tapir, Tapirus polkensis (Olsen)". Journal of Paleontology. 83 (2): 238–262. doi:10.1666/08-062.1.

[2] DeSantis, Larisa R.G.; Wallace, Steven C. (27 August 2008). "Neogene forests from the Appalachians of Tennessee, USA: Geochemical evidence from fossil mammal teeth". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 266 (1–2): 59–68. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2008.03.032. Retrieved 11 January 2025 – via Elsevier Science Direct.

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