Legend:
Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris)
Woolly Mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque)
Asian or Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus)
There are four generally acknowledged species of tapir. Some argue for subspecies, along with different genus names for some types of tapir. However, simply stated, and for most purposes of discussion, there are four species which all fall into the same genus: Tapirus.
Following are a number of links that will show and tell about different aspects of the tapirs' "family tree," evolution, taxonomy, etc. I'm planning to make a nice graphic tree or two as I have time, but very briefly and without much detail, the hierarchy goes like this:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Sub-phylum: Vertebrata
- Class: Mammalia (All mammals)
- Order: Perissodactyla (Tapirs, Rhinos, Horses)
- Family: Tapiridae (Tapirs)
- Genus: Tapirus (Tapirs)
- Species: (The four species listed above)
The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies [R(D)SVS], oldest veterinary school in Scotland, has an interesting site that describes the above categories in easy-to-understand terms. See also their Tree of Life.
TAXONOMY, ETC.
- BIOSIS, publisher of Biological Abstracts and Zoological Record
- The site's architecture has changed since I first made a link to their pages, but at that time I found a listing of all of the Perissodactyla. The ones with a + were extinct. The site told just about all you could want to know about taxonomic naming conventions, and had a link to The Zoological Record, "an authoritative and most comprehensive annual index to worldwide zoological literature, first published in 1864 by the Zoological Society of London and the Natural History Museum." I also enjoyed their "Resources for Biologists" page. It was all fascinating and useful stuff. (Today I'm just fixing broken links, but if you poke around the site you're bound to find some interesting things.)
- The Tapir Gallery Notes on Evolution and Taxonomy of Tapirs
- Introduction to the Perissodactyla - The last of a long line
- UCMP, University of California Museum of Paleontology (Berkeley), maintains an extensive and wonderfully informative site. See also their page: Ungulates: Hoofed Mammals
PALEONTOLOGY
Sorry, I need to find the time to search out some new links on this fascinating topic. I recommend looking up Digimorph and also the Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee.
RELATED SUBJECTS
- Eohippus on a U.S. postage stamp
- The Tapir Gallery
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