Tapirus polkensis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tapirus polkensis Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
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| Fossil replicas on display at the Gray Fossil Site & Museum | |
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| Life restoration of Tapirus polkensis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| 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.
