Ungulates Flashcards
(22 cards)
Give the 2 orders contained within the Super order Ungulates
Perissodactyla
Artiodactyla (now cetartiodactyla)
Give the defining features of the Perissodactyla, (odd toed ungulates)
Axis of foot passes through 3rd largest toes
Give the defining features of the Artiodactyla (cetartiodactyla)
Even toed ungulates
Axis of foot passes between 3rd and 4th toes
Give the species contained within the Perissodactyla,
Asses, Horses, Zebras, tapirs, rhinoceroses
Why do young tapirs (P) have markings ?
Enables them camouflage
Give the crucial role of tapirs in the habitat
Seed dispersal, many plants reliant on tapirs
How many species of rhinoceroses exist ?
5
Give the main threats to rhinos causing rapid decline in their numbers.
Poaching for medicine and ivory status symbols Fragmented populations (javan)
Give the benefit of a rhinoceroses ability to excrete backwards
Directs urine away from where the rhinocerose is eating
Which order, Artiodactyla or Pessodactyla is more diverse ?
The Artiodactyla, even toed ungulates
Give the number of families and species within the atriodactyla
196 species within 10 families
Give the 3 main families of Cetartiodactyla
Pigs, Peccaries and hippopotamuses
Camels and llamas
Ruminants
Whales
Give the key adaption of a ruminates digestive system
A fermentation chamber within multichambered stomachs to aid with cellulose digestion
Give the species contained within the ruminates
Chevrotains, musk deer, deer, giraffes and okapi, pronghorn, bovids.
List the variety of species found within the Bovids.
Antelopes, duikers, gazelles, cattle, sheep, goats
Domesticated forms are beginning to outcompete wild types.
Give the features of the family Cervidae.
True deer
Have antlers made of bone which shed and regrow annually
What is the purpose of antlers, found in the family cervidae ?
Intersexual selection, carried by males
Carried to interlock as a test of strength, last resort.
Give the one species in the cervidae family, where both male and female have antlers
Reindeer, used to dig craters in the snow to reach lichens and vegetation in winter.
Describe the head adaptions of the family Bovidae (cattle, sheep, goats, antelopes)
Have horns, Made of bone.
Give the defining difference between the Cervidae and the Bovidae
Bovidae- have horns, for life
Cervidae, have antlers which are shed and regrown annually
Both made of bone.
Describe the mating strategy of most deer (i.e red)
Males defend a group of females or a resource that females use.
Describe the mating stratergies of fallow deer.
Males defend territories, females come to them.