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Extinct Tapir (Tapirus Veroensis) Tooth Fossil.
This fossil was found in North Florida and is from the Pleistocene Epoch.
This colorful, beautiful tooth is about 3/4\" x 3/4\".
The fossil comes in a unique display case and includes a laminated information card.All fossils sold are authentic. No replicas.
Tapirus veroensis, commonly calledthevero tapir, is an extincttapirspecies thatlived in the areas of modern-day Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, andTennessee.Tapirus veronensis is thought to have gone extinct around11,000 years ago.
Tapirsare large,herbivorousmammalsbelonging tothe familyTapiridae. They are similar in shape to apig, with ashort,prehensilenose trunk.Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions ofSouthandCentral America, with one speciesinhabitingSoutheast Asia. They are one ofthree extant branches ofPerissodactyla(odd-toedungulates), alongsideequinesandrhinoceroses. Only a singlegenus, Tapirus, is currently extant. Tapirs migrated into South America duringthePleistoceneepoch fromNorth America after the formation of theIsthmus of Panamaas part oftheGreat American Interchange.Tapirs were formerly present acrossNorth America, but became extinct in the region at the end of theLate Pleistocene, around 12,000years ago.
The first tapiroids,such asHeptodon, appeared in the earlyEoceneof NorthAmerica.They appeared very similar to modern forms, but were about halfthe size, and lacked the proboscis. The first true tapirs appeared in the Oligocene. By theMiocene, such generaasMiotapiruswere almost indistinguishable from the extantspecies. Asian and American tapirs were believed to have diverged around 20 to30 million years ago.
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