The Order Perissodactyla
  Odd-toed hoofed mammals
These medium-sized to large animals, many of which are good runners, commonly have a reduced number of toes, each encased in a protective horny sheath, or hoof, and the weight is carried mainly by the middle digit of each foot. All are plant-eaters; their lips and incisor teeth are adapted for plucking plants, and their cheek-teeth for chewing. There are two sub-orders of odd-toed ungulates.
Sub-Order Ceratomorpha
Tapirs and rhinoceroses
These stoutly built animals are found today only in the tropics and sub-tropics. There are two families.
Family Tapiridae
Tapirs: 4 species
Tapirs are heavy-bodied browsing animals which live near water in forests in Central and South America and south-east Asia. A flexible proboscis overhangs the upper lip, and they have four toes on the front feet and three on the hind feet.
Family Rhinocerotidae
Rhinoceroses: 5 species
Rhinoceroses, though heavily built and thick-skinned, can move swiftly over short distances. They have one or two fibrous horns on the nose, often a protruding upper lip, and three toes on all feet. They live in African grasslands and in the forests of southern Asia.
Sub-Order Hippomorpha
This sub-order, which contains the horses and extinct titanotheres, differs from the other sub-order of perissodactyls mainly in the structure of the teeth. There is only one family.
Family Equidae
Horses, asses and zebras: 6 species
All horses are swift runners with only one functional toe on each foot. They live in herds. The cheek-teeth are adapted for grinding plant food.

[< Go Back ]