Even-toed ungulates Fossil range: Early Eocene - Recent
Right-rear foot of a Masai Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) at the San Diego Zoo
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Eutheria Superorder: Laurasiatheria Order: Artiodactyla* Owen, 1848
Families
Antilocapridae Bovidae Camelidae Cervidae Giraffidae Hippopotamidae Moschidae Suidae Tayassuidae Tragulidae Leptochoeridae † Dichobunidae † Cebochoeridae † Entelodontidae † Anoplotheriidae † Anthracotheriidae † Cainotheriidae † Agriochoeridae † Merycoidodontidae † Leptomerycidae † Protoceratidae † Oromerycidae † Xiphodontidae † Amphimerycidae † Helohyidae † Gelocidae † Dromomerycidae † Raoellidae † Choeropotamidae † Sanitheriidae † Climacoceratidae † Palaeomerycidae †

The even-toed ungulates form the mammal order Artiodactyla. The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in The Masai Giraffe, also known as the Kilimanjaro Giraffe is the biggest Subspecies of Giraffe. The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California is one of the largest most progressive Zoos in the world with over 4000 animals Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands See also Evolution of mammals Eutheria ("true beast" are a group of Mammals consisting of Placental mammals plus all extinct Mammals Laurasiatheria is a Clade of rank Cohort or super-order within the Placentalia (living or Eutheria (Placentals and their extinct ancestors In Phylogenetics, a group of organisms is said to be paraphyletic if the group contains its most recent common ancestor but does not contain all Sir Richard Owen KCB ( Lancaster, July 20 1804 &ndash December 18 1892) was an English Biologist Antilocapridae is a family of artiodactyls endemic to North America. A bovid is any of almost 140 species of Cloven-hoofed Mammals belonging to the family Bovidae. Camelids are members of the biological family Camelidae, the only living family in the suborder Tylopoda. A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. The giraffids are Ruminant Artiodactyl mammals that share a common ancestor with Deer and Bovids The biological family Giraffidae Hippopotamuses (colloquially also "Hippopotami" are the members of the family Hippopotamidae. Musk deer are Artiodactyls of the genus Moschus, the only genus of family Moschidae. Suidae is the biological family to which Pigs and their relatives belong Peccaries (also known as javelinas, by the Portuguese name javali and Spanish jabalí or pecarí) are medium-sized "Kancil" redirects here For the car see Perodua Kancil Not to be confused with Kanchil (Lesser Mouse Deer Not to be confused In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. Dichobunidae is an extinct family of early even-toed hoofed mammals ( artiodactyls) known from the early Eocene to late Oligocene of Entelodonts are an extinct Omnivorous, group of Mammals distantly related to modern Pigs and other non- ruminating Artiodactyls They Anthracotheriidae is a family of extinct Hippopotamus -like Artiodactyl Ungulates related to both hippopotamuses and Pigs The oldest genus Cainotherium commune was a small Rabbit -sized Herbivore that lived in Europe during the Oligocene. Sometimes called a prehistoric " ruminating hog," (although they were neither Ruminants nor hogs the typical oreodont Protoceratidae are an extinct Herbivorous group of North American Even-toed ungulates Physically they resembled Deer; however they were more Oromerycidae is a small (both in size and diversity extinct family of Artiodactyls (even-toed hoofed Mammals closely related to living Camels Previously grouped with Helohyidae, Raoellidae is now a family in the Suborder Suina. Climacoceratidae ("Ladder Horns" is a family of superficially deer-like Artiodactyl Ungulates that were restricted to the Miocene of Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands This article is about the taxonomic rank for the sequence of species in a taxonomic list see Taxonomic order In scientific classification used They are ungulates whose weight is borne (if they have more than two toes) about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. Ungulates (meaning roughly "being Hoofed quot or "hoofed animal" are several groups of Mammals most of which use the tips of their toes usually The odd-toed ungulates are browsing and Grazing Mammals which compose the order Perissodactyla. Another key distinguishing feature is the shape of the astragalus (a bone in the hock joint), which has a double-pulley structure in artiodactyls, giving the foot greater flexibility. See Talus for other meanings of the word The talus bone or astragalus of the Ankle joint connects the leg to the foot The hock, or gambrel, is the Tarsal joint of a Digitigrade Quadruped, such as a Horse, Cat, or Dog. ^[1]

There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great nutritional, economic and cultural importance to humans. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. An economy is the realized social system of production exchange distribution and consumption of goods and services of a country or other area

Contents 1 Evolution 1.1 Suina 1.2 Camelids and Ruminantia 1.3 Cetaceans 2 Classification 3 See also 4 References

Evolution

As with many animal groups, even-toed ungulates first appeared during the Early Eocene (about 54 million years ago). The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in In form they were rather like today's chevrotains: small, short-legged creatures that ate leaves and the soft parts of plants. "Kancil" redirects here For the car see Perodua Kancil Not to be confused with Kanchil (Lesser Mouse Deer Not to be confused In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. By the Late Eocene (46 million years ago), the three modern suborders had already developed: Suina (the pig group); Tylopoda (the camel group); and Ruminantia (the goat and cattle group). The suborder Suina (also known as Suiformes) contains perhaps the earliest and most archaic even-toed ungulates. Pigs, also called hogs or' swine', are Ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food leather and similar products since ancient times Tylopoda (meaning "padded foot" is a suborder of the mammalian order Artiodactyla containing some families like the Camelidae, Oromerycidae, Camels are Even-toed ungulates within the Genus Camelus. The Dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and the The biological suborder Ruminantia includes many of the well-known large grazing or browsing Mammals among them Cattle, goats Sheep, Deer The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family Nevertheless, artiodactyls were far from dominant at that time: the odd-toed ungulates (ancestors of today's horses and rhinos) were much more successful and far more numerous. The odd-toed ungulates are browsing and Grazing Mammals which compose the order Perissodactyla. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. Rhinoceros (raɪˈnɒsərəs often colloquially abbreviated rhino, is a name used to group five extant species of Odd-toed ungulates in the family Even-toed ungulates survived in niche roles, usually occupying marginal habitats, and it is presumably at that time that they developed their complex digestive systems, which allowed them to survive on lower-grade food. A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. Digestion is the breaking down of chemicals in the body into a form that can be absorbed

The appearance of grasses during the Eocene and their subsequent spread during the Miocene (about 20 million years ago) saw a major change: grasses are very difficult to eat and the even-toed ungulates with their highly-developed stomachs were better able to adapt to this coarse, low-nutrition diet, and soon replaced the odd-toed ungulates as the dominant terrestrial herbivores. Poaceae or Gramineae is a family in the Class Liliopsida of the flowering plants. The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 In Human anatomy, the stomach is a J-shaped hollow muscular organ of the Gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of Digestion, following Nutrition (also called nourishment or aliment) is the provision to cells and Organisms of the materials necessary (in the form of food to support Herbivory is a form of Predation in which an Organism, known as a herbivore, consumes principally Autotrophs ref name=Campbell>Campbell Now-extinct Artiodactyla which developed during the Miocene include the species Ampelomeryx, Tauromeryx, Triceromeryx, and others. The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 Ampelomeryx is an extinct mammal that lived during the Miocene.

Suina

Suina (pigs and peccaries) are artiodactyls that retain four toes of fairly equal size, have simpler molars, short legs, and often have enlarged canine teeth that form tusks. Pigs, also called hogs or' swine', are Ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food leather and similar products since ancient times Peccaries (also known as javelinas, by the Portuguese name javali and Spanish jabalí or pecarí) are medium-sized Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of Tooth in most Mammals In many mammals they grind food hence the Latin name mola, " Millstone "Cuspid" redirects here For the heart valves see Bicuspid valve and Tricuspid valve. A tusk is an extremely long Incisor Tooth of certain Mammals that protrudes when the Mouth is closed In general, they are omnivores and have a simple stomach, except for the two hippopotamus species and the babirusa which are herbivores. Omnivores (from Latin omne all everything vorare to devour are species that eat both Plants and Animals as their primary The Babirusa or pig-deer, Babyrousa babyrussa, is a Pig -like animal native to Sulawesi and surrounding islands of Indonesia. ^[2] Hippopotamidae have been considered a member of Suina, however, recent morphological and genetic research suggests that hippos are more closely related to whales. ^[3]

Camelids and Ruminantia

Camelids and Ruminantia tend to be longer-legged, to walk on only the central two toes (though the outer two may survive as rarely-used dew-claws) and to have more complex cheek teeth well-suited to grinding up tough grasses. Camelids are members of the biological family Camelidae, the only living family in the suborder Tylopoda. The biological suborder Ruminantia includes many of the well-known large grazing or browsing Mammals among them Cattle, goats Sheep, Deer They have evolved a highly developed digestive process in which partly-digested food is regurgitated and re-chewed (chewing the cud or cudding). CUD is an acronym sometimes used to describe the genetic disorder Primary carnitine deficiency. This complex digestion takes place in a multi-chambered stomach, the rumen itself. The rumen, also known as a paunch, forms the larger part of the Reticulorumen, which is the first chamber in the Alimentary canal of Ruminant It allows them to use fermentation by microorganisms to digest cellulose, a plant material which animals cannot digest directly. A microorganism (also spelled micro organism or micro-organism and also called a microbe) is an Organism that is Microscopic (usually Cellulose is an Organic compound with the formula, a Polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β(1→4 ^[2]

Cetaceans

One group of artiodactyls (which molecular biology suggests were most closely related to Hippopotamidae) returned to the sea to become whales. Molecular biology is the study of Biology at a molecular level The Cetaceans ( Whales Dolphins and Porpoises are descendants of land-living Mammals Their terrestrial origins are specifically indicated Thus Artiodactyla without Cetacea is a paraphyletic group. The Order Cetacea (sɪˈteɪʃiə L cetus, whale includes Whales Dolphins and Porpoises Cetus is In Phylogenetics, a group of organisms is said to be paraphyletic if the group contains its most recent common ancestor but does not contain all For this reason, the term Cetartiodactyla was coined to refer to the group containing both artiodactyls and whales. Cetartiodactyla is the Clade to which Whales (including Dolphins and Even-toed ungulates have currently been placed ^[4]

Classification

• Cetartiodactyla (unranked clade, higher than Artiodactyla)
  • Family Hippopotamidae: hippos
  • Order Cetaceans: whales, dolphins and porpoises
  • ORDER ARTIODACTYLA
    • Suborder Suina
      • Family Suidae: pigs
      • Family Tayassuidae: peccaries
    • Suborder Tylopoda
      • Family Camelidae: camels and llamas
    • Suborder Ruminantia
      • Infraorder Pecora
        • Family Antilocapridae: pronghorn
        • Family Bovidae: cattle, goats, sheep, and antelope
        • Family Cervidae: deer
        • Family Giraffidae: Giraffe and Okapi
        • Family Moschidae: musk deer
      • Infraorder Tragulina
        • Family Tragulidae: chevrotains

See also

• Odd-toed ungulate

References

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