Astrapotherium (SciiFii)

The common tapiphant (Astrapotherium maximus) is a species of South American mammal which vaguely resembles a cross between a small elephant and a very large tapir. This peculiar-looking animal is unrelated to elephants or tapirs, and is instead related to other South American ungulates such as Granastrapotherium, in a family known as the Astrapotheriidae, which in turn belongs to an order called the Astrapotheria, which includes tapiphants and relatives. The common tapiphant originally lived in what is now Argentina during the Early to Middle Miocene as an extinct species, Astrapotherium magnum, and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced to the modern swamps, mangrooves, and shorelines on the Pacific coasts of South America to help boost biodiversity. The common tapiphant has an elongated body, with a total length around 2.5 m (8.2 ft), a weight of nearly 1,000 kg (2,200 lb), and relatively short limbs. It has small plantigrade feet, and the hind limbs are significantly weaker than the fore limbs. Its four canine teeth are elongated to form short tusks, and it has broad, protruding lower incisors, which grinds against a horny pad in the upper jaw, as in many other ruminants. The nostrils are placed high on the head, which actually forms a trunk similar to a tapir's trunk, hence its name. The conservation status of the common tapiphant is Near Threatened due to some habitat loss and historic poaching by humans, however, the conservationists are working hard to protect this species and its natural habitats, as well as end poaching to save threatened and endangered species.