﻿MAMMALS 
  OF 
  NORTHERN 
  COLOMBIA 
  — 
  ^HERSHKOVITZ 
  467 
  

  

  Material 
  

  

  A 
  total 
  of 
  122 
  specimens 
  of 
  Eecent 
  American 
  tapirs 
  were 
  studied. 
  

   Included 
  in 
  the 
  84 
  specimens 
  examined 
  in 
  the 
  U. 
  S, 
  National 
  Museum 
  

   were 
  Tapirus 
  terrestris 
  (2 
  skins 
  with 
  complete 
  skeletons, 
  4 
  skins 
  with 
  

   skulls, 
  5 
  complete 
  skeletons 
  only, 
  17 
  skulls 
  only), 
  Tapirus 
  bairdii 
  (4 
  

   skins 
  with 
  skuUs, 
  7 
  complete 
  skeletons 
  only, 
  41 
  skulls 
  only), 
  and 
  

   Tapirus 
  pinchaque 
  (1 
  skin 
  only, 
  3 
  complete 
  skeletons 
  only, 
  1 
  skull 
  

   only) 
  . 
  Included 
  in 
  the 
  38 
  specimens 
  examined 
  in 
  the 
  Chicago 
  Natural 
  

   History 
  Museum 
  were 
  Tapirus 
  terrestris 
  (2 
  skins 
  with 
  complete 
  skele- 
  

   tons, 
  1 
  skin 
  with 
  skull, 
  4 
  skulls, 
  skins 
  mounted 
  in 
  habitat 
  group; 
  21 
  

   skulls 
  only), 
  Tapirus 
  bairdii 
  (2 
  complete 
  skeletons, 
  6 
  skulls 
  only), 
  and 
  

   Tapirus 
  pinchaque 
  (1 
  skin 
  with 
  skeleton, 
  1 
  skull 
  only). 
  More 
  than 
  20 
  

   skulls 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  tapir, 
  Tapirus 
  (Acrocodia) 
  indicus, 
  were 
  compared 
  

   with 
  the 
  American 
  species. 
  

  

  Capitalized 
  color 
  terms 
  in 
  the 
  text 
  are 
  from 
  Eidgway 
  (Color 
  Stand- 
  

   ards 
  and 
  Color 
  Nomenclature, 
  1912). 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  abbreviations 
  of 
  museums 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  lists 
  of 
  

   types: 
  

  

  BM 
  British 
  Museum 
  (Natural 
  History) 
  

  

  CNHM 
  Chicago 
  Natural 
  History 
  Museum 
  

  

  MACN 
  Museo 
  Argentino 
  de 
  Ciencias 
  Naturales 
  "Bernardino 
  Rivadavia" 
  

  

  MHNP 
  Museum 
  National 
  d'Histoire 
  Naturelle, 
  Paris 
  

  

  USNM 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum 
  

  

  Genus 
  Tapirus 
  Briinnich 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  — 
  American 
  forms 
  are 
  widely 
  and 
  nearly 
  continuously 
  

   distributed 
  throughout 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  Neotropical 
  region 
  from 
  about 
  

   30 
  degrees 
  south 
  latitude 
  in 
  eastern 
  Brazil 
  to 
  about 
  20 
  degrees 
  north 
  

   latitude 
  in 
  southern 
  Mexico 
  (see 
  map, 
  fig. 
  61); 
  altitudinal 
  range 
  is 
  

   from 
  sea 
  level 
  to 
  approximately 
  4,500 
  meters 
  above. 
  One 
  species, 
  

   Tapirus 
  (Acrocodia) 
  indicus, 
  is 
  represented 
  in 
  Burma, 
  Siam, 
  French 
  

   Indochina, 
  the 
  Malay 
  States, 
  and 
  Sumatra. 
  Recent 
  tapirs 
  are 
  sur- 
  

   vivors 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  family 
  that 
  originated 
  in 
  early 
  Tertiary 
  in 
  the 
  Paleo- 
  

   arctic 
  region 
  and 
  which, 
  at 
  successive 
  periods 
  of 
  time, 
  occupied 
  the 
  

   land 
  masses 
  now 
  intervening 
  between 
  Asiatic 
  and 
  American 
  species. 
  

  

  Habitat 
  and 
  habits. 
  — 
  Within 
  the 
  geographic 
  limits 
  defined, 
  tapirs 
  

   may 
  occur 
  in 
  practically 
  any 
  wooded 
  or 
  grassy 
  habitat 
  with 
  good 
  

   surface 
  supplies 
  of 
  water. 
  Forests 
  and 
  thickets 
  are 
  usual 
  daytime 
  

   retreats, 
  while 
  bordering 
  exposed 
  areas 
  such 
  as 
  grass 
  or 
  scrublands, 
  

   marshes, 
  lakes 
  and 
  streams 
  with 
  herbaceous 
  banks, 
  and 
  grassy 
  islands 
  

   are 
  favored 
  nocturnal 
  feeding 
  resorts. 
  Streams, 
  whether 
  narrow, 
  tor- 
  

   rential 
  watercourses 
  of 
  mountain 
  gorges 
  or 
  wide, 
  sluggish 
  rivers 
  of 
  

   the 
  interior 
  and 
  coastal 
  plains 
  are 
  indispensable 
  refuges 
  of 
  all 
  tapirs 
  

   attacked 
  by 
  enemies, 
  be 
  they 
  of 
  the 
  itch-producing, 
  external 
  para- 
  

   sitic 
  kind, 
  or 
  tigers, 
  jaguars, 
  and 
  man. 
  

  

  