Lab 10 - Cetartiodactyla and Perrisodactyla

Certartiodactyla

Certartiodactyla

Even-toed ungulates - Paraxonic Unguligrade

Perissodactyla

Odd-toed ungulates - Mesaxonic Unguligrade

Gut Fermentation

Uses microbial communities to break down plant matter using anaerobic fermentation

Rumination or Foregut Fermentation

• Involves a 4-chambered stomach

• Allows the animal to eat plant matter and then regurgitate it and redigest it later (called cud)

Hindgut Fermentation

• Single chambered stomach

• Occurs further in the gut, in the large intestine

What family has horns?

Family Bovidae

What family has antlers?

Family Cervidae

Horns

• Bony core with keratin sheath

• not shed

• unbranches

• found in both males and females in most species

Antlers

• shed and regrown each year

• made of bone

• covered in skin ("velvet") during the growing season

• usually branched

• almost never on females

What species are antlers found on in females in Cervidae?

Caribou

What is velvet?

Skin that covers antlers in Cervidae

What group has unbranched antlers?

Muntjacs

Suborder Ruminantia

Ruminants

Ruminantia skull traits

• Males frequently have head ornamentation/weaponry

Ruminantia Teeth

• An incisiform lower canine -> 3 incisors and 1 incisiform canine

• Large diastema (gap) between incisors/canine and cheek teeth

• Selenodont cheek teeth

• Upper incisors usually reduced or absent

Ruminantia post-cranial skeleton

• Unguligrade

• Paraxonic

• Cannon bone

Ruminantia soft tissue

• 4 chambered stomach

• foregut fermentation

• regurgitation of food (cud)

Bovidae

true antelopes; cattle; oxen; sheep; goats

Bovidae Features

• Horns -> not shed and not forked

• No antorbital vacuity (indent below the orbital)

Cervidae Features

• Antlers -> forked and shed

Cervidae

deer: reindeer; moose or elks; muntjacs; roe deer

Odocoileus hemionus

Mule deer

• Deep antorbital vacuity (Indent near orbital)

• Forked antlers

Odocoileus virginianus

White-tailed deer

• shallow antorbital vacuity (indent near orbital)

• Single beam antlers with small ofshoots

Antilocapridae

comprising only the pronghorns

Antilocapra americana

Pronghorn

• pronghorns -> forked and only the outer sheath is shed

• Neither horns nor antlers

• fast

Order Perissodactyla

Odd-toed ungulates

Perissodactyla

nonruminant ungulates: horses; tapirs; rhinoceros; extinct forms

Perissodactyla - Skull

• Elongated rostrum

• Lacrimal bone has a process that projects into the orbit

Perissodactyla Teeth

• Lophodont cheek teeth

• Large diastema between incisors/canines and cheek teeth

• Upper and lower incisors present in some, missing in others

Perissodactyla lacking incisors

Rhinoarotidae

Perissodactyla that has incisors

Equidae and Tapridae

Perissodactyla Postcranial Skeleton

• Mesaxonic -No baculum

Perissodactyla Soft Tissue

• Simple stomach

• Hindgut fermentation in the enlarged cecum

• No gall bladder

• Testes scrotal or inguinal

• Bicornuate uterus

Equidae

horses; asses; zebras; extinct animals

Equidae - Features

• Males have canine

• Upper incisors

• Huge diastema

Domestic

A genetically distinct lineage of animals that have developed adaptations to live in human care

Wild

A lineage of animals that has not adapted to human care; compatibility with humans has not been a significant selective pressure

Tame

A wild animal that has become accustomed to humans and has a reduced fear response

Feral

A domestic animal that has lived away from humans and is now fearful of humans

Refers to species + genetics

Domestic and Wild

Refers to populations/individuals

• behavior

Tame and feral

Why are Ruminantia more successful in grasslands than Perissodactyla?

• Better adapted to feeding on grasses because of rumination/foregut fermentation

• Better ornamation for defense

• able to chew and digest later (digest on the move)