Extinct California Tapir (Tapirus californicus) Fact Sheet: Distribution & Habitat

Paleontologists use knowledge of the earth's rocks, global plate tectonic movements, ancient ecosystems, and the chemical process of fossilization to make sense of fossil distribution patterns and ancient habitats.

• Coastal southern California (Jefferson 1989)
• A larger tapir, Tapirus merriami, lived at the same time, in more inland habitats (Scott 206)
• Tapirs in Pleistocene times lived south of the limit of continental glaciation (Colbert & Schoch 1998)

• Forests, woodlands, perhaps grassland, especially near rivers and lakes
• Modern tapirs live up to 4,500 m (14,764 ft) in the Andes and perhaps fossil species were equally adaptable (McDonald 2006)
• Not yet found in mountains of western U.S.

Jefferson (1989)
Colbert & Schoch (1998)