Critter Catalog

Even-toed ungulates are a diverse group of mammals found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. There are 220 species in this group, including many varieties of deer, antelope, gazelles, bison, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, giraffes, hippopotamuses, camels, and others.

Most even-toed ungulates eat plant foods and have several notable adaptations to that lifestyle. Their chewing teeth are made up of complex ridges, which act to grind coarse plant materials. Many also have a digestive system that allows them to ferment the plant foods they eat. This allows them to extract as much nutrition from the grasses and leaves they eat as possible.

Most even-toed ungulates live in open habitats, such as grasslands, but many live in forested habitats, and hippos live in and near water. Many are well adapted to running; some of the fastest terrestrial mammals are even-toed ungulates.