Tag: artiodactyla

Artiodactyla

Artiodactyla is an order of hoofed mammals  which includes antelope, cattle, deer, giraffes, goats, hippopotamuses, and sheep.

Physical Characteristics

 Artiodactyls bear weight equally on two of their five toes; the third and fourth. While the majority of mammals classified in the Artiodactyla order have hooves, the Hippopotamus is an exception, instead of hooves, there is a pad of connective tissue on each foot. 

Many Artiodactyls have cranial appendages; deer have extensions of their skulls, that are  composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels, these extensions of the skulls are known as antlers. With the exception … Continue