Artiodactyls even-toed ungulates Aimee Childress

Artiodactyl Facts Hoofed mammals Herbivores Some artiodactyls like antelopes have a four chambered stomach which allows them to digest cellulose from the plants they eat 220 species Size ranges from a less then 2lb deer mouse to hippopotamuses reaching 10,00 lbs

Artiodactyl Facts Some have horns or antlers Have symmetrical feet with 2 or 4 digits which evenly distribute their weight Run at great speeds Have an astraglus or ankle bone in the hind limb

Even-toed Odd-toed

Location and Reproduction Found worldwide except Australia and Antarctica Live in open areas like grasslands, savannas, and forests All are precocial- able to walk within hours after birth One male with several females is the most common mating system, but temporary mating pairs may form

Classification Kingdom: Animilia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammilia Order: Artiodactyla suborders: 1. Tylopoda- camels 2. Suiforms- pigs, peccaries, Hippos 3. Ruminantia- ruminants with majority of modern Artiodactyl species.

Families

Evolution First appeared about fifty four mya Forty six mya the three modern suborders developed Odd-toed ungulates were more successful and numerous at the time With the appearance of grasslands twenty mya, even-toed ungulates became the dominate herbivores.

A New Suborder? Cetartiodactyla Cetaceans are considered to arise from artiodactyls In some taxonomies cetaceans and even-toed ungulates have been put in Cetartiodacyla as sister groups, though DNA has shown Cetaceans evolved within Artiodactyls. The most recent theory into the origin of the hippo suggests that hippos and whales shared a common ancestor that branched from other Artiodactyls sixty mya.

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