Tapir Talk Archives

7 May 1997

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    ___  __                   Digest 7 May 1997 - Vol. 1, No. 7
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The Tapir Preservation Fund

The Tapir Gallery: http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/
Tapir Talk Archives and Info: http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/tt.htm
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TAPIR TALK   -  7 May 1997   -   Vol. 1, No. 7

Contents of this issue:
    1. Venezuelan contacts
    2. Early Tapirus distribution
    3. Domestication



Return-Path: 
Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 18:10:19 -0500
From: Daniel Hilliard 
To: Tapir 
Subject: Re: Tapir Talk Digest - 5 May 1997
References: <19970505210354364.AAA227@dialin65.gj.net>
X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to 
quoted-printable by spnode01.tcs.tulane.edu id SAA73024


RE: Venezuelan Contacts

For those interested in obtaining information regarding zoo-based
projects in Venezuela, I recommend that you contact Esmeralda
Mujica-Joquera, Executive Director, Fundación NAcional de Parques
Zoológicos y ACuarios de Venezuela (FUNZPA)...she should have direct
access to information regarding both in situ and ex situ tapir 
projects.

Daniel Hilliard
Executive Director, Zoo Conservation Outreach Group
c/o the Audubon Zoological Garden
6500 MAgazine Street
New Orleans, LA  70118

(504) 861-5104

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Return-Path: 
X-Sender: tapir@tapirback.com (Unverified)
To: tapir@tapirback.com
From: Tapir 
Subject: For Tapir Talk
Date: Wed, 7 May 1997 14:03:46 -0600

FOSSIL DISTRIBUTION: I'm no expert on this, but there are a few links here
that may help:

http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/tree.htm

Also, Faunmap:
http://www2.museum.state.il.us/research/faunmap/query/mapform-scientific.html

On Faunmap, if you leave the "Age" on "all time periods" and go to the
"taxon" list, go down to Tapirus (it's not alphabetized right, look at all
the T listings) and you'll find some early tapirs listed by scientific name.
If you click on the first one (Tapirus sp.), for all species listed, you'll
get back a map of the U.S. showing red dots where the fossil Tapirs species
have been found (east-west, California to Florida, Pennsylvania in the
north, down to Florida and Texas). Below that you'll get a list of the exact
locations where the remains were found. (You can look at several species
separately, too.)

Fossil tapirs have also been found in other parts of the world. I'm thinking
of Europe and I believe China. None in Africa, and no *really* early tapirs
in South America. They migrated there later (Pleistocene?). If you'll send
me your snail-mail address I've got some stuff I can send. Offhand, I don't
remember whether they began first in North America or in Europe, or whether
the two continents were closely attached at that time and it was about the
same time. The stuff I can send you has that info., though. Maybe someone
else can fill us both in on the extents of the early fossil finds.

DOMESTICATION OF TAPIRS: About 1971 I got a letter from an American (?)
who was trying to get a grant to go to South America and figure out a way to
domesticate tapirs like cattle, for food. I have the letter somewhere, but
didn't find it just now. I have no idea if he ever got the grant. I can see
some problems, though. Tapirs fight a lot more than cattle and are much
harder to manage. They can attack humans, too. I wouldn't even THINK of
trying to herd them! They don't naturally live in herds, and don't have a
"herd mentality." Interesting question, but the letter I mentioned is the
only time I've personally heard of someone thinking of domesticating them in
a ranch-type situation. 

People in the tapirs' native countries will keep individuals to fatten them
up for food, though, and there are tapirs in a number of zoos (or the
descendants of these tapirs) that got there because someone bought them
before they were eaten. In the other sense of domestication - taming - some
are pretty tame and others can be extremely dangerous. The bottom line is,
you need to know your individual animal and to be very careful around them.
They're often unpredictable. They're big, heavy and strong, have powerful
jaws and teeth, and they can move very fast.

Sheryl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sheryl Todd  ~  The Tapir Gallery  ~  Tapir Preservation Fund    
http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/        tapir@tapirback.com 
Co-Editor, IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group Newsletter
P.O. Box 1432, Palisade, CO 81526 USA    Fax (970) 464-0377
"Promoting the Welfare of Tapirs Everywhere"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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