Perrisodactyls
Family Tapiridae
Tapirs
..Malayan
Tapir
..Brazilian
Tapir
..Baird's
Tapir
..Mountain
Tapir
Order Perrisodactyla
Perrisodactyla is a small order of
herbivores best defined as odd-toed ungulates (animals with hooves). There
are 19 species in 3 families, and all of them are endangered or extinct
with the exception of some zebra species and domesticated horses and
donkeys. The quagga is an example of an extinct species that was killed
off in the early 1900's for its zebra-striped hide. The first two families
are rather well-known, but the last family remains kind of a mystery, as
these animals have the strange appearance of a body assembled from
different animal parts. The 3 families are:
..Equidae
(horses, donkeys, zebras, quaggas) 10 spp
..Rhinocerotidae
(rhinoceroses) 5 spp
..Tapiridae
(tapirs) 4 spp
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