Guide to the great fame animals (Ungulata) in the Department of Zoology, British Museum (Natural History) : Illustrated by 53 text and other figures.

  • British Museum (Natural History). Department of Zoology.
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Guide to the great fame animals (Ungulata) in the Department of Zoology, British Museum (Natural History) : Illustrated by 53 text and other figures. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    earth by human agency, but the others have mostly a very restricted geographical range. The Tapirs. The Tapirs form a family of Perissodactyla Family Tapiridse remarkable at the present day for their anomalous geographical distribution, one species (Tapirus indicus, 991) inhabiting the Malay countries, whereas the other four are confined to Central and South America. The clue to this peculiarity is afforded by extinct species, remains of which occur in the Tertiary rocks of Europe, China, and North America. From other living members of the suborder. Tapirs are distinguished by having four front-toes; the hind-feet, as in the B-hinoceroses, terminating in three digits. The nose is prolonged into a short proboscis, and the molar teeth of both jaws are low-crowned, and carry simple transverse crests, united in the upper ones by an outer wall. The number of teeth is 42, or only two below the full typical complement. The heavy form of the body, the small size of the eyes, and the shortness of the tail, are shown in the specimens exhibited. In the typical members of the genus, like the Malay T. indicus (991) and the American T. terrestris (992), the nasal region of the skull is of normal structure; but in two of the American species (Tapirus bairdi, 993, and T. dowi) a bony partition divides the cavity of the nose into two divisions. These two species are in consequence separated generically, or subgenerically, as Tapirula. The young of all are spotted and striped. Tapirs are dwellers in dense forest, where water is abundant. In this they swim, and even dive, while they also enjoy wallowing in mud, and in the deep forest wander about during the day, generally alone. Although usually slow in their movements, when frightened they make violent rushes. Their food consists of leaves, twigs, and fruits. Rhinoceroses. Rhinoceroses are the largest and bulkiest of Family Rhinocerotitte. the existing Perissodaetyla; and although now confined to Africa and the Indo-Malay countries, in past epochs ranged over the greater part of Europe and North America. Their most distinctive feature is the presence [Lower Mammal Gallery. Case 36.] [Lower Mammal Gallery. Oases 37* & 40, H & J.]