Even-toed ungulates, belonging to the order Artiodactyla, are mammals that bear weight equally on two of the central toes of each foot. This unique foot structure, along with other adaptations, distinguishes them from odd-toed ungulates and includes familiar animals such as pigs, deer, camels, and cattle.
- Their name, Artiodactyla, means "even finger," referring to their symmetrical toe arrangement.
- They typically have hooves on the two main weight-bearing toes, with some species also having smaller toes.
- Many even-toed ungulates are ruminants, possessing specialized stomachs for fermenting plant material, which enhances their digestive efficiency.
- They play vital ecological roles as herbivores, seed dispersers, and prey, and are economically important as sources of meat, milk, leather, and other products.
Even-toed ungulates bear weight on the two middle toes of each foot.
"*Artiodactyla*" means even-toed (or even-fingered) mammals.
Deer, camels, pigs, and cattle are all even-toed ungulates.
Many *Artiodactyla* are ruminants with multi-chambered stomachs for fermenting plant material.
Even-toed ungulates are important as herbivores, seed dispersers, and prey animals.
Even-toed ungulates are vital for agriculture, supplying meat, dairy, and materials like leather.
Source Material
Author: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Document: Artiodactyla - Even-toed ungulates
Date Published: 2024
Even-toed ungulates are defined by bearing weight equally on two central toes.
Even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla) are mammals whose weight is evenly distributed between the two middle toes of each foot. This specialized toe arrangement is a key characteristic that sets them apart from other mammals.
- The term Artiodactyla comes from Greek, meaning "even toes."
- Main toes bear the animal’s weight, usually covered by hooves.
- This group includes animals like pigs, deer, camels, and cattle.
*Artiodactyla* includes pigs, deer, camels, and cattle, but not horses or elephants.
- Even-toed ungulates can have two or four hooves, but the main weight-bearing toes are always even in number.
- Many (but not all) are ruminants, meaning some species have complex stomachs for digesting tough vegetation.
Only many even-toed ungulates are ruminants; others are not.
- They play important roles in ecosystems as herbivores, seed dispersers, and prey.
- They are also economically important, providing meat, milk, leather, and other products to humans.
Even-toed ungulates function as herbivores, seed dispersers, and prey in ecosystems.
They supply meat, dairy products, and materials like leather.
Source Material
Author: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Document: Artiodactyla - Even-toed ungulates
Date Published: 2024
Cows, sheep, pigs, and giraffes are even-toed ungulates, while horses and rabbits are not.
Even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla) encompass a diverse range of mammals that share the unique characteristic of bearing weight on an even number of toes. Some well-known examples include:
- Domestic livestock like cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs.
- Wild members such as deer, antelope, moose, and elk.
- Specialized forms like camels and llamas, which belong to the suborder Tylopoda.
- The hippopotamus is also a close relative within this order.
- Interestingly, even-toed ungulates are closely related to whales and dolphins. Together, they form the clade Cetartiodactyla.
Yes, giraffes are even-toed ungulates.
Elephants and horses are not even-toed ungulates.
- Even-toed ungulates are found worldwide, except in Antarctica.
- Their ecological roles include grazing, browsing, and sometimes seed dispersal through their droppings.
Source Material
Author: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Document: Artiodactyla - Even-toed ungulates
Date Published: 2024
Even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla) are a vital and diverse group of mammals distinguished by their unique toe arrangement and important roles in ecosystems and human economies.
- They bear weight on two central toes, a trait shared by animals like deer, pigs, camels, and cattle.
- Many are specialized herbivores with complex digestive systems, and some species are key domestic animals.
- Understanding Artiodactyla helps us appreciate mammalian diversity, evolution, and the connections between wildlife and human society.