Order perissodactyla Shared By Abdul Qahar

2. Order Perissodactyla
• 3 families, 6 genera, 17 species
• Limbs are unguligrade and mesaxonic
• Central digit is largest and carried axis of weight
• Can be more than one digit
• Families:
• Equidae
• Tapiridae
• Rhinocerotidae

3. Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Eutheria
Superorder: Laurasiatheria
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Equidae,Tipiridae,Rhinocerotidae.
Genus: Equus
Species: E. caballus

4. Characteristics:
• • Odd-toed with hoof (ungulates) = horses, rhinos, tapirs
• • Weight distributed on central digits 2, 3, 4
• • 1 toe per foot = horses
• • 3 toes per foot = tapirs, rhinos
• • 1st digit absent
• • Enlarged colon with microorganisms for digestion of
cellulose

5. Ungulates
Order Perissodactyla
• Horses, zebras, tapirs, and rhinoceroses
• Odd toed ungulates
• Grazers
• Flat teeth for grinding food
• Have rumen, special structure for to break down
cellulose.

7. Family Equidae horse, asses, zebras; 1 genus, 8
species
• Elongated skull
• Large angular region of dentary
• Cheek teeth hypsodont with complex grinding surfaces
• Dental formula: 3/3 0-1/0 3-4/3 3/3
• Canine, if present, is small
• Postorbital plate separates orbit from temporal fossa
• Single digit on both fore and hind feet
• Body fully haired
• Specialized for cursorial locomotion
• Body mass ranges from about 200-400 kg in wild asses and
zebras.

8. Family Equidae.
• Herbivorous
• Social groups- single stallion with several females and their young
or small “bachelor” groups of young males
• Defense of groups by stallions
• No true territoriality
• Plains zebras (E. burchellii) can form large herds under good
ecological conditions
• Lifespan = about 25-35 yrs.
• Single offspring, gestation about 1 year
• • Arose in North America, later extinct, Spanish return with horses
• • Early horses spread into Africa (zebras & asses), Asia and Europe

9. Equus caballus (horse)
• Incisors and hypsodont
teeth
• Single hoof (toe), vestigial
side splints
• Long, narrow nasal bones

10. Family equidae

11. Family Tapiridae – tapirs
• • Semi-aquatic, tropical forest
• • Oriental & South American rivers
• • Proboscis-like nose similar to elephant
• • Front feet = 4 toes; hind feet = 3 toes

12. Family Tapiridae tapirs; 1 genus, 4 species
• Stocky, up to about 30 kg
• Short limbs
• 4 toes front feet, 3 toes hind feet
• Short thick tail
• Teeth brachydont; simple π-shaped pattern of lophs
• Dental formula: 3/3 1/1 4/3-4 3/3
• Diastema between canines and premolars
• Reduced nasal bones and short, flexible proboscis
• Body covered with coat of short, sleek hair in 3 species, but coat
wooly in mountain tapir (T. pinchaque)

13. Family tapiridae
Tapirus indicus (baby)Tapirus pinchaque (Mountain
tapir)
Tapirus bairdii
•3 species in Mexico, Central America,
and northern South America
•1 species in Myanmar, Thailand,
Malaya, Sumatra
•All 4 species considered threatened
or endangered

14. Family Rhinocerotidae – rhinos
• • Arose in North America, later extinct
• • Africa & Asia – plains/savanna; also IndoChina
= forest
• • Horn-like growth made of hair (keratin) –
poaching & extinction
• • Hypsodont molars resembling greek symbol pi
(π)

15. Family rhinocerotidae
Diceros bicornis (black rhino
Ceratotherium simum (white
rhino)
•2 species in central, eastern, and
southern Africa
•3 species in southern and
southeastern Asia from India to
Borneo
•Already extirpated from many parts of
their ranges
•All considered endangered