VANA 102: INTRO TO UNGULATES

• ungulata


  one traditional grouping of mammals, now recognized as prophelytic grouping
• ungula


  latin of ungulates meaning hoof
• today, how many living orders of ungulates are there?

  6 or 7
• 2 major groups of living hoofed mammals:

  artiodactyla and perissodactyla
• cloven or even hooved mammals

  artiodactyla
• odd hooved mammals

  perissodactyla
• • live in grasslands and savannah
  • have evolved features that are adaptive for life on open grasslands

  ungulates
• examples of artiodactyla:

  peccaries, swine, hippo, camel, llama, cattle, antelope, deer and giraffes
• other orders of ungulates:

  • order hyracoidea - hyraxes
  • order proboscidea - elephants
  • order sirenia - sea-cows
  • order tubulidentata - the aardvark
  • order cetacea - whales and dolphins
• most successful order of terrestrial ungulates

  order artiodactyla
• 3 sub-order of order artiodactyla

  • suborder suina
  • suborder tylopoda
  • suborder ruminantia
• animals under suina

  • pigs, piccaries, and hippopotami
• what suborder is the primitive artiodactyls

  suborder suina
• animals under tylopoda

  • camel and llamas
• what suborder is the intermediate artiodactyls

  suborder tylopoda
• animals under ruminantia

  • cattle, antelope, deer, giraffes
• what suborder is the advanced artiodactyls?

  suborder ruminantia
• artiodactyls are united by 4 features:

  • 2 or 4 toed
  • paraxonic feet
  • astragalus
  • premolars are less like the molars
• 2 living suborders of perissodactyls:

  • suborder ceratomorpha
  • suborder hippomorpha

  third one is extinct

  • ancyclopoda
• animals under suborder ceratomorpha:

  • tapirs and rhinoceroses
• animals under suborder hippomorpha:

  • horses
  • titanotheresY
  • palaeotheresY
• animal under ancyclopoda:

  • chalicotheresY
• perissodactyls are united by 3 features:

  • mesaxonic feet
  • complete set of incisor
  • greatly molarized pre-molars
• SN of Brazilian tapirs

  Tapirus terrestris
• SN of Black Rhinoceros

  Diceros bicoris
• suborder hippomorpha equidae family:

  • Equus asinus - donkey
  • Equus burchelli - zebra
  • Equus caballus - modern/domestic horse
• Suborder Hippomorpha has 7 members that are found in this family (Equidae) , all genus Equus:

  • domestic horse
  • wild horse
  • 3 zebras
  • 2 asses (donkey)
• evolution of horses

  • eohippus - eocene era - 55 m
  • mesohippus - oligocene era - 35 m
  • miohippus - oligocene era - 30 m
  • mercychippus - miocene era - 20 m
  • pliohippus - pliocene era - 5 m
  • equus - modern era - 4 m
• evolutionary trends of horses and other ungulates:

  • High-crowned, specialized teeth
  • Increased body size
  • Elongation of legs by standing on the toes
  • Elongation of muzzle
  • Reduction in toes
• environmental causes of evolutionary trends in horses:

  • need for greater speed and body size to escape predators
  • cooling climate during cenozoic replaced forests with grasslands. Simple hooves and elongated legs are adaptive for running in the open. Elongated muzzle to reach grass
  • Grasses are high in silica. High-crowned teeth are adaptive.