The 4 million year old tapir skeleton

It appeared during excavation work at the Camp dels Ninots site, in Caldes de Malavella (Girona). This was the “most complete” baby tapir skeleton in Europe, approximately one year old, recovered. This is a 4 million year old tapir skeleton.

It is largely preserved in anatomical connection. The specimen constitutes the "most complete juvenile skeleton known in Europe." And it represents an opportunity to deepen our knowledge of the growth and development of European tapirs from the Pliocene. This was reported this Tuesday by the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (Iphes).

unusual fossil

The discovery occurred during the excavation campaign directed by Iphes-Cerca. Thanks to this new specimen, the number of tapir individuals recovered so far has risen to 7. The remains correspond to different ages and sexes.

This makes the Camp dels Ninots site the "main international reference" for the study of 'Tapirus arvernensis'. It is one of the last species of tapir that inhabited Europe. The adult specimens recovered so far indicate that they were large herbivores with a robust body and dimensions similar to those of modern tapirs.

The 4-million-year-old tapir skeleton is one of a kind. The researcher and co-director of the excavations, Bruno Gómez de Soler, commented on the discovery. He ensures that the recovery of such a young individual allows us to begin to reconstruct the complete life cycle of this population with an unusual level of detail. He highlights that it is "very unusual" in the fossil record.

tapir biology

«This specimen allows us to delve into aspects practically unknown until now. For example, skeletal development, growth rate or the biology of the first life stages of European tapirs from the Pliocene.

This year's campaign at the site will end on June 18. In total, it mobilizes fifteen professionals from different disciplines. Among them, geology, paleontology, biology, archeology and conservation and restoration. And also to students of the master's degree in Quaternary Archeology and Human Evolution at the Rovira i Virgili University of Tarragona.