Plesiotapirus
Extinct genus of tapir
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Plesiotapirus is an extinct genus of tapir from the Miocene of Asia. A single species is usually considered valid, Plesiotapirus yagii.
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| Plesiotapirus Temporal range: Early Miocene | |
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| Plesiotapirus yagii skull | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | Tapiridae |
| Genus: | †Plesiotapirus Qiu, Yan & Sun, 1991[1] |
| Species: | †P. yagii |
| Binomial name | |
| †Plesiotapirus yagii Matsumoto, 1921 | |
It was first described in 1921 based on fragmentary dental remains found in Japan. Fossils of P. yagii were originally classified under the defunct genus Palaeotapirus. Better material, including a complete skull, were found in China and in 1991 the genus Plesiotapirus was erected.[2]
