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The artiodactyls are a large and diverse group of mammals. Living artiodactyls include pigs, hippos, camels, giraffes, deer, antelopes, cattle, sheep, and goats. There are also many extinct groups of artiodactyl known from the fossil record.
Artiodactyls get their name from their paraxonic feet; in a paraxonic foot, the plane of symmetry passes between the third and fourth digits. In all species of artiodactyl, the number of digits is reduced at least by the loss of the first digit, and the second and fifth digits are small in many groups. The third and fourth digits always remain large and weight-bearing. This pattern is reflected in the group’s name, Artiodactyla, which means “even-toed.”
| Click on a specimen image to find out more about some of the different types of artiodactyl in the collection | ||
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Leptauchenia |
Elomeryx |
Leptomeryx |
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Giraffokeryx |
Machaeromeryx |
Cranioceras |
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Prodesmatochoerus |
Archaeotherium |
Platygonus |
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Stenomylus |
Synthetoceras |
Stockoceros |
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