Extinct Tapirs in GURPS

A number of extinct tapirs are known from the Americas. They were all likely quite similar to modern tapirs in habits, and have changed little since thier origin in the Miocene. In Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene settings, tapirs of some sort could be found in any forested area of North America and Eurasia, or of South America after the late Pliocene when the Isthmus of Panama joined the two continents. Proto-tapirs of the Eocene and Oligocene were similar to modern tapirs, but smaller and lacked a proboscis.

• Tapirus californicus was found in California during the Pleistocene. It likely massed between 150 and 225 kg, with males smaller than females.
• Tapirus merriami was a Pleistocene tapir from inland habitats of California and Arizona. It may have massed between 250 and 300 kg, with females larger than males.
• Tapirus copeii lived along the Atlantic coast of North America furing the Pleistocene.
• Tapirus veroensis lived in the southeast of North America during the Pleistocene.
• Tapirus polkensis was a pygmy tapir from North America's Miocene and Pliocene. It lived in swamps. It had an estimated mass of 125 kg.
• Megatapirus augustus was a giant tapir from southern China and Indochina during the middle Pleistocene. It had an estimated mass of 500 kg.
• Miotapirus harrisonensis was a tapir from the Miocene of North America.
• Protapirus sp. was an early trunkless tapir found in Europe and North America during the Oligocene and Miocene.
• Heptodon sp. was a trunkless proto-tapir from the Eocene in North America and Asia. Its extimated mass was around 15 kg.

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