biology

List of artiodactyls

List of artiodactyls is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of artiodactyls rather than just read about it. In short: Artiodactyla is an order of placental mammals composed of even-toed ungulates – hooved animals which bear weight equally on two of their five toes with the other toes either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing posteriorly – as well as their descendants, the aquatic cetaceans. Members of this order are called artiodactyls.

Key takeaways

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Connect List of artiodactyls to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of List of artiodactyls from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Artiodactyla is an order of placental mammals composed of even-toed ungulates – hooved animals which bear weight equally on two of their five toes with the other toes either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing posteriorly – as well as their descendants, the aquatic cetaceans. Members of this order are called artiodactyls. The order is sometimes named Cetartiodactyla, in reference to the inclusion of cetaceans in the order beginning in the 1990s. Artiodactyla currently comprises 349 extant species, which are grouped into 132 genera. Artiodactyls live on every major landmass and throughout the oceans and in a variety of habitats, including forests, grasslands, and deserts. They come in a wide array of body plans in contrasting shapes and sizes, ranging from the 38 cm (15 in) long and 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) royal antelope to the 27 m (89 ft) long and 120 ton blue whale. Some artiodactyls, such as cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, water buffalo, camels, and llamas, have been domesticated, resulting in a worldwide distribution and population sizes for some animals of over one billion. Artiodactyla is divided into four suborders: Ruminantia, Suina, Tylopoda, and Whippomorpha. The suborders are further subdivided into clades and families. Ruminantia contains six families, Antilocapridae, Bovidae, Cervidae, Giraffidae, Moschidae, and Tragulidae, and includes ruminant animals such as cattle, antelope, deer, and sheep. Suina contains two, Suidae and Tayassuidae, and includes pigs and peccaries; Tylopoda comprises only Camelidae, the camels and llamas; and Whippomorpha contains fifteen, Balaenidae, Balaenopteridae, Cetotheriidae, Delphinidae, Eschrichtiidae, Iniidae, Kogiidae, Lipotidae, Monodontidae, Phocoenidae, Physeteridae, Platanistidae, Pontoporiidae, Ziphiidae, and Hippopotamidae, and includes the aquatic whales and dolphins as well as hippopotamuses. The exact organization of the species is not fixed, with many recent proposals made based on molecular phylogenetic analysis. Three species have gone extinct since 1500 CE: the aurochs and the bluebuck in Bovidae and Schomburgk's deer in Cervidae. Additionally, the red gazelle in Bovidae is considered either extinct or to have never existed; the kouprey in Bovidae is potentially extinct, with no sightings since 1969; and so is the baiji in Lipotidae, last seen in 2002. Several other species are extinct in the wild or critically endangered.

Conventions The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the collective range of species in that genera is provided. Ranges are based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species unless otherwise noted. All extinct genera or species listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol "†".

Classification The order Artiodactyla consists of 349 extant species belonging to 133 genera. This does not include hybrid species or extinct prehistoric species. Modern molecular studies indicate that the 133 genera can be grouped into 24 families; these families are grouped into named suborders and many are further grouped into named clades, and some of these families are subdivided into named subfamilies.

Artiodactyls The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis.

Suborder Ruminantia

Infraorder Pecora

Family Antilocapridae Members of the Antilocapridae family are called antilocaprids; the family is composed of a single extant species, the pronghorn.

Family Bovidae

Members of the Bovidae family are bovids and include sheep, cattle, goats, antelope, and others. Bovidae comprises 144 extant species, divided into 52 genera. These genera are grouped into eight subfamilies: Aepycerotinae, or the impala; Alcelaphinae, containing the bontebok, hartebeest, wildebeest, and relatives; Antilopinae, containing several antelope, gazelles, and relatives; Bovinae, containing cattle, buffalos, bison, and other antelopes; Caprinae, containing goats, sheep, ibex, serows and relatives; Cephalophinae, or duikers; Hippotraginae, containing the addax, oryx, and relatives; and Reduncinae, or reedbuck and kob antelopes.

Family Cervidae

Members of the Cervidae family are cervids, or colloquially deer. Cervidae comprises 53 extant species, divided into 19 genera. These genera are grouped into two subfamilies: Capreolinae, or New World deer, and Cervinae, or Old World deer.

Family Giraffidae

Members of the Giraffidae family are giraffids, and are the giraffes and the okapi. Giraffidae comprises five extant species in two genera.

Family Moschidae

Members of the Moschidae family are moschids, or colloquially musk deer. Moschidae contains seven extant species in a single genus.

Family Tragulidae

Members of the Tragulidae family are tragulids, or colloquially chevrotains or mouse-deer. Tragulidae contains 10 extant species in 3 genera.

Suborder Suina

Family Suidae Members of the Suidae family are suids, or colloquially pigs, hogs, or boars. Suidae comprises 17 extant species, divided into 6 genera, and is not split into subfamilies.

Family Tayassuidae Members of the Tayassuidae family are tayassuids, or colloquially peccaries. Tayassuidae comprises 3 extant species in 3 genera, and is not split into subfamilies.

Suborder Tylopoda

Family Camelidae

Members of the Camelidae family are camelids, and include camels, llamas, and alpacas. Camelidae contains 7 extant species in 2 genera.

Suborder Whippomorpha

Infraorder Cetacea

Parvorder Mysticeti

Family Balaenidae

Members of the Balaenidae family are balaenids, or colloquially right whales. Balaenidae contains four species in two genera.

Family Balaenopteridae

Members of the Balaenopteridae family are balaenopterids, or colloquially rorquals. Balaenopteridae contains ten species in two genera.

Family Cetotheriidae

Members of the Cetotheriidae family are cetotheriids; the only extant species is the pygmy right whale.

Family Eschrichtiidae

Members of the Eschrichtiidae family are eschrichtiids; the only extant species is the gray whale.

Parvorder Odontoceti

Family Delphinidae

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of artiodactyls

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of artiodactyls claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of artiodactyls before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of artiodactyls ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of artiodactyls

In research: List of artiodactyls appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of artiodactyls in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of artiodactyls is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Artiodactyla, Lists of animal genera, Lists of artiodactyls, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of artiodactyls outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of artiodactyls in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is List of artiodactyls in simple terms?

Why does List of artiodactyls matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of artiodactyls?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of artiodactyls.