Artiodactyla
Sign in to saveArtiodactyla ( ; ) is an order of placental mammals. Typically, they are ungulates which bear weight equally on two (an even number) of their five toes (the third and fourth, often in the form of a hoof). The other three toes are either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing posteriorly. By contrast, most perissodactyls bear weight on an odd number of the five toes. Another difference between the two orders is that many artiodactyls (except for Suina) digest plant cellulose in one or more stomach chambers rather than in their intestine (as perissodactyls do). Molecular biology, along with fos
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Artiodactyla is an order of hoofed mammals that carry their body weight on an even number of toes (typically the third and fourth), distinguishing them from other hoofed animals that use an odd number of toes. Many artiodactyls have specialized stomachs for digesting plants, making them well-adapted herbivores, and this group includes many of the large mammals humans interact with, such as cattle, deer, pigs, and whales.
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Article
27 sectionsContents
- Evolutionary history
- Taxonomy and phylogeny
- Classification
- Research history
- Historical classification of Artiodactyla
- Historical classification of Cetacea
- Inner systematics
- Anatomy
- Limbs
- Head
- Horns and antlers
- Teeth
- Senses
- Digestive system
- Genitourinary system
- Other
- Lifestyle
- Distribution and habitat
- Social behavior
- Reproduction and life expectancy
- Predators and parasites
- Interactions with humans
- Domestication
- Threats
- See also
- References
- External links
Artiodactyla ( ; ) is an order of placental mammals. Typically, they are ungulates which bear weight equally on two (an even number) of their five toes (the third and fourth, often in the form of a hoof). The other three toes are either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing posteriorly. By contrast, most perissodactyls bear weight on an odd number of the five toes. Another difference between the two orders is that many artiodactyls (except for Suina) digest plant cellulose in one or more stomach chambers rather than in their intestine (as perissodactyls do). Molecular biology, along with fossil discoveries, has found that cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) fall within this taxonomic branch, being most closely related to hippopotamuses. Some modern taxonomists thus apply the name Cetartiodactyla () to this group, while others opt to include cetaceans within the existing name of Artiodactyla. Some researchers use "even-toed ungulates" to exclude cetaceans and only include terrestrial artiodactyls, making the term paraphyletic in nature.
The roughly 270 land-based even-toed ungulate species include pigs, peccaries, hippopotamuses, antelopes, deer, giraffes, camels, llamas, alpacas, sheep, goats and cattle. Many are herbivores, but suids are omnivorous, and cetaceans are entirely carnivorous. Artiodactyls are also known by many extinct groups such as anoplotheres, cainotheriids, merycoidodonts, entelodonts, anthracotheres, basilosaurids, and palaeomerycids. Many artiodactyls are of great dietary, economic, and cultural importance to humans.