Week 4 Flashcards
!Artiodactyla
Even-toed ungulates
!Artiodactyla 3 sub-orders
Suiformes
Tylopoda
Ruminatia
!Suiformes family
Suidae - pigs
Tayassuidae - peccaries
Hippopotamidae - hippos
!Tylopoda family
Camelidae - camels and liamas
!Ruminatia family
Tragulidae - chevrotains Moschidae - musk deer Cervidae - deer Giraffidae - giraffe and okapi Antilocapridae - pronghorn Bovidae - cattle, antelope, sheep etc
!Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates) general characteristics:
- Digits
- Hooves
- Molars
- digits are reduced
- Hooves present
- Molarised pre-molars due to herbivorous diet.
!Artiodactyla feet:
- Suiformes
- Ruminatia
- Tylapoda
*suiformes:
Each metacarpal bone is distinct from eachother.
*Ruminatia:
Metacarpals are fused for the entire length.
Tylopoda:
Metacarpals are fused up until the distal end.
!Suines Vs Ruminants (and Tylopoda):
- Diet
- Dentition
- Limbs
Suines
- Diet: Omnivores (they eat plant material but also fruit and carrion.
- Dentition: low-crowned check teeth with simple cusps. Have large tusk like canines.
- Short limbs with 4 toes
Ruminants:
- Diet: specialised herbivores. Have specialised stomachs and chew cud to deal with high fibre food. Ridged teeth and high-crowned hypsodont.
- Elongated limbs and reduced number of functional toes (Usually 2 instead of 4 toes).
!Cud
portion of food that returns from a ruminant’s stomach to the mouth.
!Artiodactyla lifestyle
Adapted for:
Cursorial lifestyle. However some are amphibious such as hippos.
Nocturnal, crepuscular, and diurnal
!Artiodactyla distribution
Very diverse!
All continents apart from Australasia, and Antarctica.
!Suidae (in sub-order suiformes) distribution
Europe, Africa, and Asia
Swine skull morphology
pre-nasal bone - helps to dig up soil (rooting behaviour).
!Tayassuidae (in sub-order suiformes) distribution
America
!Tayassuidae (in sub-order suiformes) skull morphology
- smaller than pigs
- Robust zygomatic arch
- Canines occlude (meet when jaw is shut) which stabilise the jaw when cracking hard nuts
!Hippopotamidae (in sub-order suiformes) distribution
Africa
Hippopotamidae (in sub-order suiformes) skull morphology
Lower canines are tusk-like and larger than upper canines. Used for sexual combat and defence.
!Hippopotamidae (in sub-order suiformes) human interaction
- Habitat distruction biggest threat to pygmy hippo
- Hunting is biggest threat to common hippo
- Both do well in captivity
!Hippopotamidae, common Vs pygmy hippos
*Common hypo:
Day spent in water/ more aquatic.
As a result the eyes and ears are more on the top of the head.
*Pygmy hippo:
Less aquatic
As a result the eyes and ears are more on the side of head.
!Camelidae (in sub-order Tylopoda) distribution
Africa and South America
!Camelidae (in order tylopoda) skull morphology
- large skulls
* Isolated upper incisors (gap/diestema between canines and premolars).
Camels adaptations to:
- Sand
- Lack of water
- Hot and cold temps
- body weight rests on sole pads in the hoof. Helps to distribute the weight when walking on sand.
- Concentrating urine conserves water
- Elliptical red blood cells - protect is from dehydration (because the blood can circulate more easily and expand quicker when hydrated).
- Fat storage in humps helps to conserve water. Also the fat storage allows the camels body temperature to rise be 6° without the need of sweating. Conserves water and helps survive hot climates.
!Camelidae (in sub-order Tylopoda) Human interaction
- Llama and alpaca are domesticated
- Llamas and camels used for carrying loads
- Alpacas used for wool
- All species used for meat
!Tragulidae (in sub-order ruminatia) distribution
Around the equator - Africa and southeast Asia.
!Tragulidae (in sub-order ruminatia) skull morphology
- lack upper incisors
- Incisor-like lower canines
- Only 3 pre-molars
- No horns or antlers but instead…
- Males have continuously growing upper canines which are used for sexual competition
- Selenodont molars with Cresent shaped ridges which are adapted for cutting and slicing vegetation.
!Tragulidae (in sub-order ruminatia) other characteristics:
- Size
- Stomachs
- small size
- Males smaller than females
- Short, thin legs which limit agility
- Primitive ruminants - so although they have 4 chambered stomachs, the 3rd stomach is poorly developed.
!Moschidae, musk deer (in sub-order ruminatia) distribution
Cold climates/mountains
Eastern Asia
!Moschidae, musk deer (in sub-order ruminatia) skull morphology
- very prominent canines (and so lack antlers)
* Teeth move in sockets to avoid breaking during feeding and combat
musk deer
*Movement
*Movement
Enlarged hooves act as snow shoes. They are very agile and can climb trees
!Moschidae, musk deer (in sub-order ruminatia) human interaction
- Hunted and farmed for the secretion of the male musk gland which is used in perfumes.
- Habitat loss
!Cervids deer, true deer (in the sun-order ruminatia) distribution
Very widespread
!Cervids deer, true deer (in the sun-order ruminatia) skull morphology
- brachydont cheek teeth for a browsing diet
- Antlers from frontal bone that grow and she’d annually. Reduction in sex hormones cause the shedding.
- Except water deer males have long canines and no antlers
- No upper incisors
true deer identification from tear duct
True deers have two small tear duct holes (double lacramal)
!Cervids deer, true deer (in the sun-order ruminatia) human interaction
Deer hunted for both sport and meat. Also farmed for meat.
Red deer overpopulation in Scotland
!Giraffidae, giraffes & okapi (in sub-order ruminatia) distribution
Africa
Giraffidae, giraffes & okapi skull morphology
*Ossicones = skin covered horns
Giraffidae, giraffes & okapi lifestyle/diet
Both species are browser (use the long tongue)
!Giraffidae, giraffes & okapi (in sub-order ruminatia) human interaction:
Hunting and habitat loss threaten both species
!Antilocapridae, pronghorn (in sub-order ruminatia) distribution
Canada and Mexico
!Antilocapridae, pronghorn (in sub-order ruminatia) skull morphology
- continuously growing cheek teeth due to abrasive particles in diet.
- Selenodont cheek teeth
- Unique horns: they are unbranched
!Antilocapridae, pronghorn (in sub-order ruminatia) human interaction
Hunting and habitat loss are the main threats
!Bovidae, antelope, cattle, sheep, etc (in sub-order ruminatia) distribution
Most diverse family and widespread
!Bovidae, antelope, cattle, sheep, etc (in sub-order ruminatia) skull morphology
- large
- High crowned cheek teeth
- Absent upper canines
!Bovidae, antelope, cattle, sheep, etc (in sub-order ruminatia) other characteristics
*Horns
- horns occur in all males and in some females
- Horns are never shed or branched
- Horns are used for sexual combat and defence
!Bovidae, antelope, cattle, sheep, etc (in sub-order ruminatia) human interaction
*hunted for meat, hide, wool, and sport.
!Order Paenungulata
Sub-ungulates
!Sub-ungulates Vs ungulates
Ungulates = Laurasiatheria (placental mammals clade) Sub-ungulates = Afrotheria (clade of mammals that have an African origin).