266 HOOFED ANIMALS 



Sub-Order 3. PERISSODACTYLA (ODD-TOED 



ANIMALS) 



Perissodactyla means uneven-toed, and included in this 

 sub-order are only those animals that have an odd number 

 of toes on the hind foot. There are very few species of 

 animals possessing this characteristic in fact, only three 

 families. The Equidae, or Horses, have only one developed 

 digit on any foot ; the Rhinocerotidse, or Rhinoceroses, 

 have three toes on each foot ; while the Tapiridae have four 

 digits on the front feet, but meet the necessary qualification 

 for inclusion in the sub-order by having only three toes on 

 the hind feet. 



FAMILY RHINOCEROTID^ (RHINOCEROSES). 



The Rhinoceros family cannot well be mistaken for any 

 other group of animals. The word ' Rhinoceros ' is formed 

 from two Greek words signifying ' horned-nose,' and the 

 various species possess at least one horn, while some have 

 two. The horn has no connection with the skull ; it simply 

 grows from the skin, from which it may be cut off with 

 a sharp knife when the animal has been recently killed. 



The family is restricted to the Old World ; several species 

 inhabit India, Burma, and through the Malay Peninsula 

 to the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Borneo ; and as many 

 if not more are found in Central and Southern Africa. 

 They are all unwieldy animals, dull, sulky, and irritable, 

 but seldom attacking man until provoked, when they become 

 exceedingly dangerous foes. 



The figure of the Rhinoceros on its short, stout legs is 

 not unlike that of a monstrous hog, with a big, elongated 

 head, in which are set eyes very small in proportion. The 

 upper lip is prolonged and is generally prehensile. The 

 animal is always destitute of canine teeth, and the number 

 of upper incisors never exceeds two pairs. In the lower 

 jaw there is often a pair of large, pointed, almost hori- 

 zontal tusks, with a pair of small incisors sometimes 

 between them. 



