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Ungulates Poster |
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WORK IN PROGRESS
- THIS POSTER HAS NOT YET BEEN PUBLISHED |
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A253 Ungulates
Ungulates are hoofed animals. Most use the tips of
their toes to sustain their entire body weight while moving.
Under the Linnaeus classification system, all were
originally classified into one order, Ungulata. It was later
split into two orders: (1) The Perissodactyla, or odd-toed
ungulates includes horses, tapirs and rhinoceri. There are
15 living species. (2) The Artiodactyla, or even-toed
ungulates, with 220 species, is the larger of the two
orders. It includes pigs, camels, hippopotamuses,
chevrotains, deer, giraffes, sheep, goats, cattle, and
America’s unique pronghorn antelope, the sole species in its
family.
There is controversy regarding classification. Some
scientists maintain that ungulates are a cladistic
(evolution-based) group. Others argue that they are a
phenetic group or folk taxon (similar, but not necessarily
related), because not all ungulates appear as closely
related as once believed. Whatever the outcome of this
dispute, it is fairly certain that regardless of whatever
classification system eventually prevails, it will almost
surely contain the same species.
This poster is divided into two sections, one for each of the two
orders. Within them, all of the families are explored.
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NEW MAMMAL
SERIES |
Mammals
are the most well-known animals on Earth. They were named
for their unique mammary glands which produce milk to feed
the young. This soft tissue does not fossilize. To
differentiate modern mammals from their more primitive
ancestors, paleontologists use a distinguishing feature
shared by all living mammals: the three middle ear bones
used for hearing. These bones are now the defining
characteristic of the clade.
Animals are now being reclassified in accordance with the new cladistic
classification system. None of the new systems proposed for
mammals has been widely accepted so the Linnaeus
classification system is still used. Under it there are 29
orders, 153 families and about 1,200 genera. There are
approximately 5,400 species ranging in size from the 1.2
inch Thumblebee Bat to the 110 foot Blue Whale.
This great new series of poster explores the largest and
most popular order. They identify and present every family
in the order. Each is briefly introduced and the number of
known species is cited. A great many beautiful, highly
detailed and anatomically accurate illustrations show an
outstanding selection of representational species. North
American mammals are shown whenever possible.
All of the titles in this series have the same graphic
design, making them a matched set. The warm colors go well
with almost all decors. |
| STATUS: Present plants
call for all the first four titles in this series to be
published and released together.Carnivores, Primates
and Ungulates are complete. Illustrations are now
being prepared for Marsupials. |
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