478 



TAinuid;. 



Family TAPIRID.E. 



Genus TAPIRUS, Brisson (1700). 



The last and least specialized family of surviving Perissodaetyle 

 Ungulates again consists of a single genus, having four toes on 

 each fore, and three on each hind foot. The general form is heavy, 

 the limbs short and stout, the tail short, the ears oval, the eyes 

 small, and the nose and upper Up produced into a snout or short 

 proboscis. 



The skull is compressed laterally and is rather high. There are 

 no true postorbital processes. The anterior opening of the nares is 

 very large ; the nasals are short, triangular, pointed in front, and 

 widely separated from the premaxillaries. 



Dentition: i. J, c. \^\, pm.Q, m. 3^]. The outer upper incisors 

 are large and conical, larger than the cauines. Molars and pre- 

 molars bilophodont, having the crowns mainly composed of two 

 transverse ;i'ida;es. 



Vertebra? : C.7, D.18, L. 5, S. 6, G. about 12. The ulna and fibula 

 distinct and complete. 



Fig. 156. — Crowns of («) upper aud {/>) lower second right true molars of 

 TajJirus inclicus, the inner bide uppermost. 



One species, the largest of the genus, is Malayan and occurs in 

 Tenasserini. AH other living forms are Central- or South-American. 

 Kemains of several extinct species have been discovered in Europe, 

 of one in Chiua, and of one rather doubtful form in Burma. 



'Sdl. Tapirus indicus. Tlie Malawi Tapir. 



Tapirus indicus, Cuv., Desmarest, Nouv. Diet. (Vllist. Nat. .\xxii, 



p. 458 (1819) ; W. Sdater, Cat. p. 198. 

 Ttii)h-iis nialiiyaims, Iiaffle.'<, Tr. L. S. xiii, p. 270 (1822) ; Cantor, 



J. A. S. B. XV, p. 2(>3 ; Bhjth, Cat. p. 1 3o ; id. Mam. Birds Burma, 



Tiipirus bicolor, ]Vaf/ncr, Schrch. Siiiii/th. vi, p. 400 (1835). 

 Taru-shu,\}\um^sQ ; Ktida ylijcr, Tennu, Malav- 



