Perissodactyla is an order of placental mammals composed of odd-toed ungulates – hooved animals which bear weight on one or three of their five toes with the other toes either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing backwards. Members of this order are called perissodactyls, and include rhinoceroses, tapirs, and horses. They are primarily found in Africa, southern and southeastern Asia, and Central America, and are found in a variety of biomes, most typically grassland, savanna, inland wetlands, shrubland, and desert. Perissodactyls range in size from the 1.8 m (6 ft) long Baird's tapir to the 4 m (13 ft) long white rhinoceros. Over 50 million domesticated donkeys and 58 million horses are used in farming worldwide, while four species of perissodactyl have potentially fewer than 200 members remaining. Three subspecies of the black rhinoceros, the Syrian wild ass subspecies of the onager, and the tarpan subspecies of the wild horse have gone extinct in the last 200 years.
The eighteen extant species of Perissodactyla are divided into two suborders: Ceratomorpha, containing the families Rhinocerotidae and Tapiridae, and Hippomorpha, containing the family Equidae. Rhinocerotidae contains five species of rhinoceroses split into four genera, Tapiridae contains four species of tapir in a single genus, and Equidae contains nine species in a single genus, including horses, donkeys, and zebras. Over 75 extinct Perissodactyla species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.[1]
Conventions
| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| EX | Extinct (0 species) |
| EW | Extinct in the wild (0 species) |
| CR | Critically Endangered (4 species) |
| EN | Endangered (5 species) |
| VU | Vulnerable (3 species) |
| NT | Near threatened (3 species) |
| LC | Least concern (1 species) |
| Other categories | |
| DD | Data deficient (0 species) |
| NE | Not evaluated (2 species) |
Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the bovid's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted. All extinct species or subspecies listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol "†".
Classification
The order Perissodactyla consists of two suborders, Ceratomorpha and Hippomorpha. Ceratomorpha contains the five species in four genera of the Rhinocerotidae family as well as the five species in one genera of the Tapiridae family. Hippomorpha contains a single family, Equidae, in turn containing nine species in a single genus. Many of these species are further subdivided into subspecies. This does not include hybrid species such as the mule, hinny, or zebroid, or extinct prehistoric species. Several perissodactyla subspecies have gone extinct in modern times, namely the southern black rhinoceros, north-eastern black rhinoceros, and western black rhinoceros subspecies of the black rhinoceros, the Syrian wild ass subspecies of the onager, and the tarpan subspecies of the wild horse.
Suborder Ceratomorpha
- Family Rhinocerotidae (rhinoceros)
- Ceratotherium: 1 species
- Dicerorhinus: 1 species
- Diceros: 1 species
- Rhinoceros: 2 species
- Family Tapiridae (tapir)
- Tapirus: 4 species
Suborder Hippomorpha
Perissodactyls
The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis.[2]
Suborder Ceratomorpha
Rhinocerotidae
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White rhinoceros
| C. simum (Burchell, 1817) Two subspecies
| Central and southern Africa (Northern subspecies in orange) | Size: 370–400 cm (146–157 in) long, plus 28 cm (11 in) tail[3] Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, and grassland[4] Diet: Grass[3] | NT
|
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| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumatran rhinoceros
| D. sumatrensis (Fischer von Waldheim, 1814) Three subspecies
| Scattered Sumatra and Borneo (former range in orange) | Size: 236–318 cm (93–125 in) long[5] Habitat: Forest[6] Diet: Twigs, leaves, fruit, and shoots[7] | CR
|
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black rhinoceros
| D. bicornis (Linnaeus, 1758) Eight subspecies
| Southern Africa (extant in green, reintroduced extant in yellow, former range in red) | Size: 290–310 cm (114–122 in) long, plus 60 cm (24 in) tail[3] Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, and desert[8] Diet: Twigs, woody shrubs, small trees, legumes, and grass[9] | CR
|
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian rhinoceros
| R. unicornis Linnaeus, 1758 | Scattered northern Indian subcontinent | Size: 330–350 cm (130–138 in) long, plus 66 cm (26 in) tail[7] Habitat: Forest, grassland, and inland wetlands[10] Diet: Grass, fruit, leaves, branches, aquatic plants, and cultivated crops[11] | VU
|
| Javan rhinoceros
| R. sondaicus Desmarest, 1822 Three subspecies
| Western tip of Java (former range in orange) | Size: 300–350 cm (118–138 in) long[7] Habitat: Forest[12] Diet: Bamboo as well as parts of fig trees and guest trees[13] | CR
|
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Tapiridae
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baird's tapir
| T. bairdii (Gill, 1865) | Central America | Size: 180–250 cm (71–98 in) long, plus 5–13 cm (2–5 in) tail[14] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, grassland, and inland wetlands[15] Diet: Leaves as well as fruit, twigs, flowers, sedges, and grass[14] | EN
|
| Malayan tapir
| T. indicus (Desmarest, 1819) Two subspecies
| Scattered southeastern Asia | Size: 250–300 cm (98–118 in) long, plus up to 10 cm (4 in) tail[16] Habitat: Forest, grassland, and inland wetlands[17] Diet: Leaves, buds, growing twigs, bark, herbs, low growing succulents, shrubs, fruit, club moss, grass, tubers, and aquatic plants[18] | EN
|
| Mountain tapir
| T. pinchaque (Roulin, 1829) | Andes mountains in northwestern South America | Size: 180–200 cm (71–79 in) long, plus up to 10 cm (4 in) tail[16] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, grassland, and inland wetlands[19] Diet: Shrub leaves[20] | EN
|
| South American tapir
| T. terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) Four subspecies
| Northern and eastern South America | Size: 190–240 cm (75–94 in) long, plus up to 10 cm (4 in) tail[16] Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, grassland, and inland wetlands[21] Diet: Fruit, leaves, and other plant material[22] | VU
|
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Suborder Hippomorpha
Equidae
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African wild ass
| E. africanus (Heuglin, Fitzinger, 1866) Two subspecies
| Scattered northeastern Africa | Size: 230–250 cm (91–98 in) long, plus 40–45 cm (16–18 in) tail[23] Habitat: Shrubland, grassland, and desert[24] Diet: Grass as well as shrubs[24] | CR
|
| Donkey
| E. asinus Linnaeus, 1758 | Worldwide | Size: 190–200 in (4,826–5,080 mm) long, plus 40–50 cm (16–20 in) tail[25] Habitat: Desert[26] Diet: Grass, as well as shrubs and desert plants[26] | NE
|
| Grévy's zebra
| E. grevyi Oustalet, 1882 | Scattered eastern Africa | Size: 250–300 cm (98–118 in) long, plus 38–60 cm (15–24 in) tail[28] Habitat: Shrubland and grassland[29] Diet: Grass[28] | EN
|
| Horse
| E. caballus Linnaeus, 1758 | Worldwide | Size: 220–280 cm (87–110 in) long[30] Habitat: Grassland, savanna, inland wetlands, and shrubland Diet: Grains, grass, and shrubs[30] | NE
|
| Kiang
| E. kiang Moorcroft, 1841 Three subspecies
| Central Asia | Size: 182–214 in (4,623–5,436 mm) long, plus 32–45 cm (13–18 in) tail[32] Habitat: Shrubland, grassland, and desert[33] Diet: Grass as well as sedges[33] | LC
|
| Mountain zebra
| E. zebra Linnaeus, 1758 Two subspecies
| Scattered southern Africa | Size: 210–260 cm (83–102 in) long, plus 40–55 cm (16–22 in) tail[34] Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, and grassland[35] Diet: Grass[35] | VU
|
| Onager
| E. hemionus Pallas, 1775 Five subspecies
| Central Asia and scattered western Asia | Size: 200–250 cm (79–98 in) long, plus 30–49 cm (12–19 in) tail[28] Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, grassland, and desert[36] Diet: Grass and succulent plants[28] | NT
|
| Plains zebra
| E. quagga Boddaert, 1785 | Southern and southeastern Africa | Size: 220–250 cm (87–98 in) long, plus 47–56 cm (19–22 in) tail[28] Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, and grassland[37] Diet: Grass, as well as leaves and buds[28] | NT
|
| Wild horse
| E. ferus Boddaert, 1785 Two subspecies
| Central Asia | Size: 220–260 cm (87–102 in) long, plus 80–110 cm (31–43 in) tail[28] Habitat: Grassland and desert[38] Diet: Grass, leaves, and buds[28] | EN
|
References
Sources
- Burnie, David (2017). Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide. DK. ISBN 978-1-4654-7086-7.
- Stuart, Chris (2017). Stuarts' Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa. Penguin Random House South Africa. ISBN 978-1-920572-28-0.
- Grubb, Peter (2005). Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World. Vol. 1 (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.