By: Alicia Rosenberger

Perissodactyla is the order of the odd toed animals.

There were originally 14 families. There are now 11 extinct families. Those that remain include the horses and

zebras (Equidae; eight living species), rhinos (Rhinocerotidae; five living species), and tapirs (Tapiridae; four living species).

The single toe is actually a combination of three toes that bear the weight together, with the middle toe being the largest of the three.

Despite being such a small order, the odd-toed ungulates have a wide distribution, being found across the Ethiopian, Palearctic, Oriental, and Neotropical zoogeographic regions.

The species of Equidae have just one toe The general form of equids - including a large,

blockish head, sturdy neck, and long legs - is easily recognizable.

A characteristic bristly mane is found on the nape of the neck, and the tail has a long tassle.

This family, made up of the horses, donkeys and zebras, contains one genus with nine species.

Domestic equids range worldwide; in the wild equids occur mainly in East Africa and the Near East to Mongolia.

Tapirs look something like pigs with trunks, but they are actually related to horses and rhinoceroses.

Tapirs have a short prehensile (gripping) trunk, which is really an extended nose and upper lip.

Tapirs have four toes on the front feet and three on the back feet.

New World tapirs generally live in the forests and grasslands of Central and South America.

Woolly tapirs, named for their warm and protective coat, are the smallest of all tapirs.

All four tapir species are endangered or threatened, largely due to hunting and habitat loss.

rhinoceroses have three toes on all feet The name "rhinoceros" translates directly

from Greek as "nose-horn". Unlike the horns of bovid artiodactyls, the

"horns" of the rhinoceroses lack a bony core and are comprised of compressed hair.

The skin is tough and thick, falling into plate-like folds; in most species it is bare or sparsely haired

They are represented by 5 species placed in 4 genera.

Three of these species are found in south-central Asia and the other two live in Africa south of the Sahara.

Rhinoceroses generally inhabit savannahs, shrubby regions and dense forests, and the African species usually live in more open areas than do the Asiatic species.

http://animals.jrank.org/pages/3238/Odd-Toed-Ungulates-Perissodactyla-PHYSICAL-CHARACTERISTICS.html

http://www.ultimateungulate.com/perissodactyla.html

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/tapir/

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/mesaxonia/perissodactyla.html

http://www.eol.org/pages/1670 http://www.ultimateungulate.com/

Perissodactyla/Rhinocerotidae.html