Chordate Zoology - Textbook - Y. V. Tsaryk - 2013

Chapter 5. SUPERCLASS TETRAPODS (LAND VERTEBRATES) TETRAPODA, seu QUADRIPEDA.

ANAMNIOTES (ANAMNIA) AND AMNIOTES (AMNIOTA)

5.4. CLASS MAMMALIA, OR MAMMALS, MAMMALIA, seu THERIA

5.4.4. Taxonomy and Characteristics of Representatives of the Main Orders of the Class Mammalia

5.4.4.2. Subclass Theria

5.4.4.2.15. Order Artiodactyla (Cerviformes)

These are large to medium-sized animals with long limbs (except for the suborder Nonruminantia) adapted for fast running. The limbs are four-toed: the third and fourth digits are large (elongated) and serve as the main support. The second and fifth digits are significantly smaller. Clavicles are absent. The terminal Phalanges of the digits are encased in horny hooves. In most species, The Stomach is multi-chambered. They are herbivores. Mostly herding animals, sometimes forming aggregations (herds) of thousands of individuals. They lead a nomadic lifestyle, and many species undertake regular seasonal Migrations. They are typically polygamous. The order comprises about 170 species inhabiting all continents (introduced to Australia by humans), except Antarctica.

The suborder Nonruminantia is small (12 species) and comprises animals with a massive body and short legs. The limbs are four-toed; the second and fifth digits are relatively long and Touch the ground during locomotion; the stomach is quite simple, consisting of 1–3 chambers. It includes the families Suidae (pigs), Tayassuidae (peccaries), and Hippopotamidae (hippopotamuses). All species are herbivorous, although pigs frequently consume small animals as well. Pigs are found in Eurasia and Africa; peccaries inhabit South and Central America, while hippopotamuses inhabit tropical Africa (Fig. 5.74, 26). The wild boar Sus scrofa is the ancestor of numerous breeds of domestic pigs.

The suborder Ruminantia includes about 160 species of even-toed ungulates of various sizes. They have longer legs; There are two or four digits (the second and fifth digits are reduced and do not touch the ground). The upper jaw lacks both incisors and canines (canines are retained in chevrotains and musk deer); the stomach is complex, typically consisting of four chambers. Swallowed food is regurgitated (cud) and rechewed. Most species possess horns—outgrowths of the Frontal bone—and some species have a horny sheath. The molars have a characteristic selenodont Structure, adapted for grinding coarse, fiber-rich forage. The suborder comprises six families and is currently thriving.

The family Tragulidae (chevrotains) represents ancient and the most primitive ruminants, known since the Late Eocene. The second and fifth digits are relatively long, and males possess canines that protrude from the Mouth. These animals are about the size of a hare. They are distributed in Africa and Southeast Asia. Closely related to chevrotains is the musk deer family Moschidae, which comprises seven species. The most well-known is the Siberian musk deer Moschus moschiferus, which inhabits the mountainous regions of Altai, Sayan, Eastern Siberia, the Far East, Korea, Mongolia, and China. Its body length is up to 90 cm, height is 65 cm, and weight ranges from 10 to 17 kg. The hind legs are one-third longer than the forelegs. Horns are absent, but males have rather large upper canines protruding outward.

The deer family Cervidae consists of slender animals with branched, bony antlers (lacking a horny sheath) that develop on the pedicles of the frontal bones and are shed annually. Typically, antlers are present only in males; however, in reindeer, females also possess antlers (Water deer Hydropotes lack antlers). Preorbital scent glands are present, which males use to mark their home range. There are about 43 species. They are widely distributed; several species have been acclimated in Australia, but they are absent from Africa. The reindeer (caribou) Rangifer tarandus (Fig. 5.74, 27) inhabits the tundra and taiga zones of Eurasia and North America. It was domesticated long ago; The Development of reindeer husbandry has reduced the population of wild reindeer. The red deer Cervus elaphus lives in many regions of Eurasia and is a valuable game species. They are kept in semi-captive conditions to harvest velvet antlers (unossified antlers), which contain a valuable medicinal substance (the drug pantocrin). Sika deer Cervus nippon are used for the same purpose. The smaller European roe deer Capreolus capreolus is also widespread. The Eurasian elk (moose) Alces alces lives in the forest zone of Eurasia and North America; when populations are high, it ventures into the forest-steppe, and historically penetrated the Caucasus. It is a powerful animal adapted to moving through deep snow and swamps. The fauna of Ukraine includes five cervid species: the Eurasian elk, red deer, European roe deer, fallow deer, and sika deer. The latter two species are acclimated.

The giraffe family Giraffidae is represented by only two African species: the giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis, which inhabits the savannas of Central and East Africa, and the okapi Okapia johnstoni, which has a relatively short neck and limbs. They feed on the leaves and shoots of woody plants. The giraffe is the tallest animal, capable of raising its HEAD up to 7 m above the ground. Sudden fluctuations in Blood pressure during rapid Head movements are prevented by a system of Valves in the large jugular vein.

The family Bovidae (hollow-horned ruminants) is particularly diverse, comprising 137 species. It groups animals that possess horns formed by bony cores of the frontal bones covered by horny sheaths of epidermal origin. In many species, both males and females are horned. They are absent from Australia and South America (excluding domestic or acclimated species). Almost all of them have or had major economic importance. The antelope group is widely represented in Africa. Goitered gazelles Gazella subgutturosa live in the steppes and deserts of the Eastern Caucasus, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia. The saiga antelope Saiga tatarica inhabits the steppes of Kazakhstan and the Northern Caspian region; it occupies an intermediate position between antelopes and goats. The chamois Rupicapra rupicapra lives in the mountains of the Caucasus and the Carpathians. Wild goats and sheep (Caprinae) inhabit mountainous areas. Goats (the Caucasian ibex Capra caucasica, Siberian ibex Capra sibirica) mostly inhabit rocky landscapes, while sheep (the mouflon Ovis orientalis, European mouflon Ovis musimon, and argali Ovis ammon) are also found on gentler slopes.

Wild cattle (Bovinae) are distributed across Eurasia, Africa, and North America. These include the water buffalo Bubalus bubalis, the African buffalo Syncerus caffer, the banteng Bos banteng, and others. The yak Poephagus grunniens lives in Central Asia. The American bison Bison bison has survived in nature reserves on the prairies of North America, while the European bison Bison bonasus survives in Europe. The ancestor of numerous cattle breeds was the aurochs Bos primigenius, which went extinct in the 17th century. The fauna of Ukraine includes two species: the European bison is a restored species; the chamois is cited as a species that was distributed in Chornohora in historical times; the mouflon is acclimated in the mountainous regions of Crimea.

The pronghorn family Antilocapridae has a single representative, the pronghorn Antilocapra americana, which inhabits the steppe and semi-desert regions of North America. These are long-legged animals with a medium-length neck; horns are present in both males and (in smaller sizes) females, though females are sometimes hornless. The horns are up to 25 cm long, laterally compressed, with a short forward-pointing prong, and their tips are curved backward; they have a thin, unbranched bony core and a horny sheath that is shed annually and grows back (the regrowth process takes four months).

The camel family Camelidae was until recently classified within the suborder Tylopoda of the Order Artiodactyla, or treated as a separate order, Tylopoda. Their two-toed limbs have blunt, curved claws. The SOLE OF THE FOOT is an elastic calloused pad on which the toes rest. They appeared in North America during the Eocene and subsequently spread to South America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The wild Bactrian camel Camelus bactrianus (Fig. 5.74, 28) survives in very small numbers only in Mongolia. The dromedary is known only as a domesticated animal. In the mountains of South America, hump-less camelids—lamas—are widespread: the guanaco Lama guanaco and the vicuña Lama vicugna.