Order Perissodactyla (Noun)
Meaning
Nonruminant ungulates: horses; tapirs; rhinoceros; extinct forms.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- Members of the order Perissodactyla are characterized by their odd-numbered toes and include modern nonruminant ungulates such as horses and rhinoceros.
- The order Perissodactyla consists of large herbivorous mammals with their body weight mostly borne on the third toe.
- In the order Perissodactyla, weight is unevenly distributed between the toes due to the lack of a fourth walking digit in the forefoot.
- Examples of mammals within the order Perissodactyla include the remaining species of tapir and the related extinct ones.
- Modern examples of the order Perissodactyla include three families: the Equidae, or horse family, the Tapiridae, or tapir family, and the Rhinocerotidae, or the rhinoceros family.