The odd-toed ungulates or Perissodactyla are large to very large browsing and grazing mammals with relatively simple stomachs and a large middle toe. The members of the order fall into two groups: the suborder Hippomorpha, horses, which have only one toe and tend to be fast runners with long legs, and the suborder Ceratomorpha, which contains two families of slower-moving, thick-set animals with several functional toes: the tapirs and the rhinoceroses.

The odd-toed ungulates arose in what is now North America in the late Paleocene, less than 10 million years after the dinosaurs died out. By the start of the Eocene (55 million years ago) they had diversified and spread out to occupy several continents. The horses and tapirs both evolved in North America; the rhinoceroses appear to have developed in Asia from tapir-like animals and then reinvaded the Americas during the middle Eocene (about 45 million years ago). There were 12 families, of which only three survive. These families were very diverse in form and size; they included the enormous brontotheres and the bizarre chalicotheres. The largest perissodactyl, an Asian rhinoceros called Paraceratherium, reached 12 tons, more than twice the weight of an elephant.

Perissodactyls were the dominant group of large terrestrial browsers right through the Oligocene. However, the rise of grasses in the Miocene (about 20 million years ago) saw a major change: the even-toed ungulates with their more complex stomachs were better able to adapt to a coarse, low-nutrition diet, and soon rose to prominence. Nevertheless, many odd-toed species survived and prospered until the late Pleistocene (about 10,000 years ago) when they faced the pressure of human hunting and habitat change.

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Perissodactyla section 31. And get the fun, and is busy with season, "Kyokyo" and twitterring.
8hi (6toE) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:13:26 -0000
Perissodactyla section 31. And get the fun, and is busy with season, "Kyokyo" and twitterring.
http://twitpic.com/nxvm2 - Mesohippus shows another vestige: three toes. Still qualifies for Club Perissodactyla.
SWCScience (Swc Science) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:21:17 -0000
http://twitpic.com/nxvm2 - Mesohippus shows another vestige: three toes. Still qualifies for Club Perissodactyla.
(date)Do, 29.10.09, Bar, Perissodactyla im Audiozoo im Zoo Schäe -elektronisch- http://ow.ly/xgQ2
morgengrau (morgengrau) Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:01:07 -0000
(date)Do, 29.10.09, Bar, Perissodactyla im Audiozoo im Zoo Schäe -elektronisch- http://ow.ly/xgQ2

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