Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla

Question 1

Characteristics of both Orders

Answer 1

• Herbivores
• Ungulate means “walk on tip toes”
• Calcaneum (heel bone) doesn’t attach to fibula
• Cursorial locomotion
• Reduced # of toes
• Cheekteeth hypsodont, w/ complex occlusal surface

Question 2

Fossil Record

Answer 2

• Both originated from Condylarthra in early Paleocene
• Oldest fossil of Perissodactyla from early Eocene
• Equids have best fossil record

Question 3

Perissodactyla

Answer 3

• Ethiopian and palearctic
• Foot w/ one functional digit
• Grazers
• Elongated skull
• Canine teeth reduced/absent
• Simple stomachs w/ large caecum
• Enlarged central digit carries most of body weight (mesaxonic)

Question 4

3 Families of Perissodactyla

Answer 4

• Equidae
• Tapiridae
• Rhinocerotidae

Question 5

Teeth Types

Answer 5

• Hyspodont
• Selenodont
• Lophodont

Question 6

Equidae (Zebras-Horses-Asses)

Answer 6

• Distribution: Middle East to Mongolia, E. Africa and Central Asia
• Pelage varies upon species
• Usually 1 offspring born after a year, graze after 1-2 months, and weaned at 8-13 months

Question 7

Tapiridae

Answer 7

• Neotropical and Oriental
• Forefoot w/ 4 digits and hindfoot w/ 3
• Snout modified into moveable proboscis
• Cheek teeth brachyodont
• Feed on twigs, shoots, fruits, and grass
• Good swimmers, seek refuge in water

Question 8

Rhinocerotidae

Answer 8

• African, Ethiopian, Oriental, and Indian
• 3 digits on all feet
• One of two horns composed of solid mass of hardened epidermal cells located near snout, not attached to bone

Question 9

Colorado Perissodactyla

Answer 9

• Equidae (horses)

- Found in western part mainly

Question 10

Artiodactyla

Answer 10

• Selective feeders
• Weight bearing axis thru 3rd and 4th digits (paraxonic)
• Clavicle reduced/absent
• Canines usually absent except in pigs and musk deer
• Stomach simple and non-ruminating in suids, and stomach complex and ruminating in other bovids

Question 11

10 Families of Artiodactyla

Answer 11

• Suidae
• Tayassuidae
• Hippopotamidae
• Camelidae
• Tragulidae
• Giraffidae
• Moschidae
• Cervidae
• Antilocapridae
• Bovidae

Question 12

Colorado Antilocapridae

Answer 12

• Pronghorn Antelope
• Fastest New World mammal
• Horns consist of keratinized sheath and bony core, and horn sheath can shed
• Breeding occurs in fall
• Have rump, interdigital, and glands behind ears

Question 13

Colorado Cervidae

Answer 13

• Deer (Mule and White-Tailed) (Odocoileus hemionus and O. virginianus)
• Elk (Cervu elaphus)
• Moose (Alces alces)

Question 14

Deer

Answer 14

• Mule deer largest of Odocoileus genus
• Ruminants
• Rut/mating season in fall as well as going into esturs
• Gestation 190-200 days
• Fawns born in spring and are weaned 65-70 days

Question 15

Elk

Answer 15

• Stay in single-sexed groups most of year
• Ruminants
• Grazers and browsers
• Roosevelt Elk is largest species

Question 16

Female Elk

Answer 16

• Short estrus cycle of 1-2 days
• Gestation 240-262 days
• Multiple matings
• 2 year olds can produce

Question 17

Elk/Deer-Chronic Wasting Disease

Answer 17

• Affects brain tissue
• First documented in late 1960’s
• Shows weight loss, increased watering needs, disorientation
• Similar to Mad Cow but not the same, doesn’t spread to humans
• Spreads thru saliva

Question 18

Moose

Answer 18

• Females in gestation for 8 months
• Ruminants
• Eat twigs, bark, roots, and shoots of woody plants
• Up to half of all die in first year of life, prime is 5-12 years

Question 19

Colorado Bovids

Answer 19

• Bison (Bison bison)
• Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis)
• Mountain Goats (Oreamnos americanus)

Question 20

Bison

Answer 20

• Largest terrestrial mammals in N America and Europe
• Nomadic grazers and travel in herds
• Simple diet of most grass and some shrubbery

Question 21

Difference b/t American and European Bison

Answer 21

• A. have 15 ribs, E. have 14 ribs
• A. have 4 lumbar vertebrae, E. have 5
• A. have shorter legs which allow them to graze more
• A. is hairier w/ less on tail
• Nose of E. set further forward than the forhead

Question 22

Bighorn Sheep

Answer 22

• Grazers and browsers
• In fall/winter they seek salts and minerals
• Species w/ large horns in N. America
• Genetic testing indicates 3 subspecies
• Originally crossed over Bering land bridge from Siberia

Question 23

Mountain Goats

Answer 23

• Found in Rocky Mtns and Cascades
• Largest mammals found in high altitude habitats
• Primarily alpine and subalpine species
• Suited for climbing steep and rocky slopes

Question 24

How do Mtn Goats climb so well?

Answer 24

• Inner pads provide traction and cloven hoofs that spread apart as needed.
• Declaws on back of feet help keep from slipping