Vertebrate Zoology: A Tutorial - T. A. Dauda 2014

Metazoa
Infraclass Eutheria, or placental mammals
Order Artiodactyla

The order Artiodactyla comprises medium-to-large herbivorous mammals with varying body structures (Fig. 65), characterized by an even number of toes on each FOOT. The third and fourth toes are equally well-developed and encased in horny sheaths (hooves), with the limb axis passing directly between them, while the second and third—as well as the second and fifth—toes are underdeveloped to varying degrees. When walking, the limbs move exclusively in a single plane: forward and backward. Clavicles are absent. All artiodactyls (around 200 known species) are divided into two suborders: Non-ruminants (Suina) and Ruminants (Ruminantia).

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Fig. 65 Artiodactyl mammals:

1 — wild boar; 2 — camel; 3 — Siberian ibex; 4 — giraffe; 5 — European bison; 6 — argali mountain sheep; 7 — saiga antelope; 8 — moose.

Ruminants swallow their food without chewing, only to regurgitate it later for thorough, leisurely mastication before swallowing it a second time. Consequently, their Stomach is divided into four chambers: the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. The first two chambers temporarily store hastily swallowed food, while the chewed mass enters the other two sections. Representatives of this suborder constantly move their jaws in a grinding motion, chewing continuously (hence their name). Non-ruminants chew their food immediately, and their stomach is two-chambered.

Suborder Non-ruminants (Suina). The wild boar is the representative of non-ruminants found in our country. It is a large animal with a short,

massive body, a thick, short neck, a large HEAD, relatively slender limbs, and a short tail. The snout is elongated and ends in a flat disc (rooting disc), and the ears are long and wide. In males, the upper and lower canines are large and protrude from the Mouth; the molars are tuberculate. The coat is coarse and bristly. Wild boars have a nomadic lifestyle, but prior to giving birth, the female builds a lined lair using dry grass, often equipped with a roof and sidewalls. From March to May, she gives birth to 4–14 striped piglets, which feed on milk for up to 2–3 months before transitioning to adult food. Wild boars inhabit damp forests and thick shrublands across the central, southern, and northwestern Regions of the country. They are the ancestors of many domestic pig breeds. Other wild boar species inhabit Africa, South Asia, and Central America.

Non-ruminants also include hippopotamuses, or hippos. They are native to Tropical Africa. Their Skin is hairless and vulnerable to drying out, which is why hippos spend a significant amount of time in the Water, where they also feed on aquatic vegetation.

Suborder Ruminants (Ruminantia). In our country, ruminants are represented by 20 species of deer and bovids. Deer are medium-to-large animals with slender, well-proportioned physiques. The males typically feature branching bony antlers that are shed and regrown annually. Females, with the exception of reindeer (caribou), lack antlers. They inhabit primarily forests and forest-steppes, with only a few species found in tundra and forest-tundra zones.

The reindeer is widespread across the vast majority of the tundra and PARTS OF THE forest belt of Eurasia, perfectly adapted to harsh northern conditions. Its thick fur and undercoat provide excellent thermal insulation. The hooves are broad and sharp, enabling traversal through bogs and deep snow, as well as digging through snow cover in search of food. Reindeer feed on Lichens (commonly known as "reindeer moss"). They undertake long Migrations in search of forage. In the tundra, many reindeer have been domesticated, serving humans as pack and draft animals while providing valuable fur and meat.

The red deer, or maral, inhabits taiga, broad-leaved, and mountain forests, showing a preference for sparse areas with dense undergrowth. It feeds on twigs, shoots, buds, bark, herbaceous plants, and lichens. It is distributed across southern Siberia, the Russian Far East, the Caucasus, and several other regions.

The sika deer is found in the Primorye region and has been acclimatized to various areas of the European part of Russia. It retains its spotted coat pattern throughout its life. These deer are frequently farmed. Just like the maral, they provide humans with meat, hides, and velvet antlers—young, unossified, developing antlers that yield pantocrine, a highly valued medicinal preparation.

The largest representative of the deer family is the moose (elk), weighing up to 570 kg. Males develop heavy, palmate antlers. Their coloration is typically dark brown with light, almost white legs. They lead both solitary and group lifestyles, only rarely gathering into small herds. In summer, they graze on various herbaceous plants, while in winter they browse on the twigs of deciduous trees. Moose are distributed across almost the entire territory of Russia, excluding the northernmost areas. In many regions, Experiments on the domestication of moose are underway.

The roe deer is the smallest deer species in our country, with a mass of no more than 60 kg. It has a graceful build, long and slender limbs, a long neck, and a small head. The ears are large and wide. Males possess sparsely branched antlers with 3–5 tines. In summer, the roe deer leads a solitary existence, whereas during the rest of the year it generally lives in groups. It favors light forests with well-developed undergrowth and understory. Its diet is diverse, ranging from lichens to the buds and leaves of deciduous trees. It is distributed throughout the western and middle belts of the European part of the country, the southern Urals, Siberia, the Far East, and several other locations.

Bovids comprise the vast majority of large ruminants. Some of them—antelopes—are light and graceful in build, while others—bison—are heavy and massive. A common anatomical feature is the presence of horns (primarily in males), which consist of hollow horny sheaths seated on bony outgrowths of the frontal bones and are retained throughout the animal's life. The largest bovid is the European bison, weighing up to 1 ton, with high shoulders and a noticeable hump. The head, neck, and forequarters are covered in dense, long, slightly curly Hair that forms a mane, while the rest of the body has short, stiff fur. The tail is thin, ending in a tuft of long hair. Both males and females bear short, sharp horns that are thick at the base. Today, they survive only in specific nature reserves, such as the Caucasus and Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Until the 17th century, a large wild ox known as the aurochs inhabited the steppes of Southern Russia; it was one of the ancestors of numerous domestic cattle breeds. Other extant wild bovids include the yak in Asia, the water buffalo in Africa, and the bison in North America.

Wild goats and sheep reach a shoulder height of up to 1.2 m and a mass of 70–200 kg. They typically feature large, variously spiraled horns. Goats most commonly graze in herds of 20–30 individuals in small pasture areas. Sheep prefer large open spaces, grazing in massive flocks numbering a hundred or more individuals. They are found in the mountains of the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Southern Siberia. Certain species, such as mouflons and argali sheep, gave rise to many domestic sheep breeds, while the bezoar goat is the ancestor of domestic goats.

The most graceful among bovids are antelopes, measuring 1–1.5 m in length, with a shoulder height of 55–94 cm and a mass of 18–50 kg. Their limbs are tall and slender, supporting a small head on a delicate neck; the tail is relatively long. Males have curved horns of varying degrees. They live either solitarily or in small groups. The goitered gazelle, saiga antelope, and goral inhabit certain regions of the southern part of our country, whereas the chamois—a forest antelope—lives in the Carpathians.

Giraffes, native to Africa, also belong to the ruminants. Two species are known: one is the okapi, a relatively short-necked and short-legged animal, and the other is the giraffe, the tallest of all land animals, holding its head nearly 6 m above the ground. Both species feed on the leaves of trees and shrubs, and less frequently on grass.