Hoofed mammals are divided into 4 orders:
- PERISSODACTYLA (odd-toed ungulates)
- SURIFORMES (even-toed ungulates)
- WHIPPOMORPHA (even-toed ungulates)
- RUMINATIA (even-toed ungulates)
They have hooves for running ans are herbivores that feed on grass, leaves, fruits, seeds and herbs.
They need to go through a process of fermentation by means of bacteria before the digestion takes place: Hindgut fermentation or Rumination.
PERISSODACTYLA
- 1 single toe or 1 foot with 3 toes together
- hindgut fermenters
- family Equidae (zebra), family Rhinoceratidae (rhino)
SURIFORMES
- 2 weight-bearing toes on each foot
- sub-families: Suinae (bushpig), Phacochoerinae (warthogs)
WHIPPOMORPHA
- 1 sub-family Hippopotamidae (hippopotamus)
- even-toed ungulate with 4 weight-bearing toes on each foot
RUMINATIA
- 2 families: Giraffidae (giraffe, okapi), Bovidae (buffalo, antelope)
- Bovidae males have horns and few females too. Even-toed ungulates with ruminant digestive system of fermentation. Sub-families Bovinae and Antelopinae.
Bovinae:
- tribe Bovini (African buffalo)
- tribe Tragelaphini (bushbuck, statunga, nyala, kudu, eland). All males have spiral horns and females are hornless, except the female eland.
Antelopinae:
- tribe Alcelaphini (wildebeest, hartebeest, blesbok, bontebok, tssessebe). Horns are present in both sexes.
- tribe Cephalophini (duikers)
- tribe Neotragini (damara dik-dik, oribi, steenbok, grysbok, shape's grysbok and suni)
- tribe Oreotragini (klipspringer)
- tribe Reduncini (reedbuck, mountain reedbuck, waterbuck, lechwe and puku, grey rhebok)
- tribe Antilopini (gazelles) only springbok in South Africa.
- tribe Aepyceraniti (Impala)
- tribe Hippotragini (sable antelope, roan antelope, gemsbok).
Antelope species in which both females and males have horns:
- Blue and Black wildebeest
- African Buffalo
- Eland, gemsbok
- Bontebok
- Blesbok
- Springbok
- Tssessebe
- Red hartebeest
- Sable and Roan antelope
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