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Realistic spec-evo commission - an arboreal tapir
🕑 Added 2025-05-29 15:27:05 +0000 UTCThe tapir-like arboreal stem ungulate, Arbotapiroides wildersoni - created for generous patron R.A.W.
Figuring out the hand and foot anatomy of this critter was an enjoyable challenge. I studied the fore-and-rear limbs of early ungulates, and tried to envision their potential adaptations for a tree-dwelling existence, comparable to tamanduas or tree kangaroos.
Here are my early studies for this critter:
In the end we gave the tree-tapir longer claws, a prehensile tail, and forward-facing eyes. In that respect, it deviated quite a bit from the ur-ungulate bodyplan, and became something that would be classified in a sister clade to all other perissodactlys. Still, that's how evolution works.
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