Ungulate
Ungulates (meaning roughly "hoofed" or "hoofed animal") make up several orders of mammals, of which six survive:
Most large land mammals are ungulates.
Extinct ungulate groups include Ancylopoda, Amblypoda and Condylarths.
In addition to hooves, ungulates developed reduced canine teeth, bunodont molars (molars with low, rounded cusps), and an astragalus (one of the ankle bones at the end of the lower leg) with a short, robust head.
Ungulates diversified rapidly in the Eocene, but are thought to date back perhaps as far as the Late Cretaceous. Most ungulates are herbivores, but a few are omnivores or predators (for example, whales).
Referenced By
Ancylopoda | Domesticated | Domesticated animal | Domesticated animals | Domestication | Evolutionary timeline | Timeline of evolution
|
