Order v. Ungulata, Hoofed Quadrupeds. 



The Order Ungulata comprises those animals formed for a terres- 

 trial existence and whose food is mainly vegetable, although certain 

 ones are omnivorous. The molar teeth have broad crowns and their 

 surfaces ridged, and three pair are always present in each jaw. 

 There are no clavicles or collar bones, and the limbs, as a rule, are 

 only capable of a forward and backward motion, a rotary movement 

 being impossible. The limbs generally terminate in solid bony hoofs, 

 but in some cases the last joint of the toes is furnished with broad 

 nails, and the number of toes varies from one to five, but in cases 

 where the toes are numerous only two are usually of importance to 

 the animal. In no instance are any claws present. The Ungulates 

 vary greatly in size, from the diminutive Dik-Dik Antelope, pigmy 

 Hog and Hyrax, to the lordly Elephant, the bulky Rhinoceros and 

 Hippopotamus, and the lofty Giraffe. A characteristic of members 

 of this Order is the presence of horns on some portions of the head, 

 usually witnessed only on the male. These appendages vary greatly 

 in size, structure, and pattern, and are most effective, in the majority 

 of instances, as weapons of offense or defense. Many extinct species 

 of Ungulates possessed four or five digits to each limb, but no existing 

 species, except the elephant, has more than four, the majority indeed 

 possessing only two, while in the horse but one remains. The Order 

 has two divisions, those that may be termed the true Ungulates, con- 

 taining the vast majority of the species, such as Hippopotamus, 

 Swine, Llamas, Deer, Antelope, Sheep, Goats, Tapirs, Rhinoceros, 

 Horse, etc.; and the Subungulata, with the majestic Elephant and 

 the curious little animal, the Hyrax, very rodent -like in appearance, 

 but entirely distinct from the other members of the Order, and which 

 occupies quite an independent position among mammals. 



The Ungulates are distributed throughout the globe excepting 

 Australia, and are found from the Arctic regions to the Tropics, the 

 largest number of species inhabiting the warmer portions of the 

 earth. Some Ungulates go in herds containing many thousand indi- 

 viduals, like the American Bison which only a few years ago roamed 

 the Western plains in countless numbers, but have passed away for- 

 ever, save a semi-domesticated remnant ; and many species of African 

 Antelope that once covered the veldt with their mighty hosts are 

 likewise rapidly disappearing before the rifles of the so-called sports- 

 man and the skin hunter. 



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