Odd-Toed Ungulates: Perissodactyla - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Perissodactyla And People, Conservation Status - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Perissodactyls are found in Asia, Africa, and America in limited populations. Tapirs are found in Central and South America and in southeastern Asia. Rhinos live throughout Central and East Africa below the Sahara Desert and in the tropical region of Asia. Horses are found in eastern and southern Africa and Asia from Near East to Mongolia. Domestic horses live throughout the world, and there are several wild populations in North America and western Australia.
Additional Topics
Ungulates (UNG-gyuh-luhts) are hoofed mammals. What makes perissodactyls (puh-RIH-suh-dack-tuhlz) different from artiodactyls (ar-tee-oh-DACK-tuhlz), is the number of toes. The presence of a single toe links the horse family (including horses, zebras, and asses), tapir, and rhinoceros together. This single toe is actually a combination of three toes that bear the weight together, with the middle t…
Tapirs prefer to live near permanent bodies of water and enjoy tropical forests. The exception is the mountain tapir, who lives in the Andes Mountains. Rhinos can be found in rainforests, grasslands, and scrublands (region similar to grassland but which includes scrub vegetation). These mammals must live near water for drinking and bathing. Asian rhino fossils have been found in the Himalayas at a…
Perissodactyls are herbivorous (plant-eating). The plants they eat depend on what is available in the region in which they live. Tapirs eat leaves, twigs, fallen fruit, and aquatic vegetation. Rather than eat entire plants, they consume just a few leaves from a plant and move on. Using their upper lip to grab plants, rhinos prefer woody or grassy vegetation. They will eat fruit occasionally, but l…
Rhinos are solitary creatures seldom seen in pairs other than the mother-offspring combination. Even mated pairs don't remain together. Rhinos are territorial and have obvious displays to prove their authority, including rolling eyes, lowered head, and strutting. Males engage in brutal fights, and African rhinos inflict injury by jabbing each other with upward blows of their horns. Rhinos e…
Humans are largely responsible for adversely (negatively) affecting the perissodactyl populations. Tapirs and rhinos have been relentlessly hunted for food and sport, as well as for their skins, which are used to produce high quality leather goods. Rhinos are illegally hunted for their horns and other body parts, which are used in Asian medicine, supposedly to relieve headaches, heart and liver tr…
Nine species of Perissodactyla are listed as Endangered, facing a very high risk of extinction, or Critically Endangered, facing an extremely high risk of extinction, on the 2003 IUCN Red List. All species of rhinoceroses are included on this list. Tapir populations are declining due to deforestation leading to habitat destruction. Since 1970, the rhino population has decreased by 90 percent due t…
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