An amazing number: cloven-hoofed animals

The world of animals is great and diverse: graceful and graceful, heavyweights and thick-skinned. A group of hoofed inhabitants of our planet is interesting. Artiodactyl animals are so called because they have a pair of fingers that are securely protected by a horn hoof. They differ in medium and large sizes, they live in forests, mountains, steppes, deserts. Many have horns. Wild forms are widespread throughout all continents, excluding Antarctica, Australia and Oceania. However, in Australia now you can meet ungulates, brought and acclimatized by man.

The fact is that this continent was under the rule of the English colonists. As is known, the English often drink tea, preferring to dilute it with milk. Therefore, to satisfy their tastes, they imported cows to Australia. It would seem that peaceful burenki, familiar to us from children's cartoons, melancholy chewing grass, is a symbol of rural idyll. However, they almost caused the ecological catastrophe! Since the cows were artificially spread across the Australian continent, they could not have either natural enemies or insects helping to decompose the cows, which quickly filled the pastures. It was necessary urgently to import dung beetles, more known under the name "scarabs". The Egyptians revered them for the sacred, because each scarab certainly pushed a manure ball in front of him, which was perceived by the Egyptians as a symbol of the sun for a similar shape.

All cloven-hoofed animals are subdivided into species: ruminants, non-ruminants and muzolenogues (camel). The largest number of species is concentrated in Africa and Asia. In America, mostly domesticated species live.

Artiodactyl animals mostly lead a land life. Only a few species, such as the hippopotamus, are found in the water. Mountain goats have adapted to life in the mountains and can perfectly climb on rocks.

Africa is breaking records for the most unusual and amazing representatives of artiodactyls. The first place, perhaps, could easily be taken by a hippopotamus - an African cloven-hoofed animal. He has an impressive appearance and peculiar habits.

Slender antelope kudu is common throughout Africa.

Original and unusual looks giraffe - ruminant artiodactyla. A more familiar form of the massaj giraffe is a yellow-brown color with irregularly shaped chocolate spots. At first glance, this is awkward, he has excellent eyesight and sensitive hearing. Due to its color, the giraffe dissolves in the open spaces of the savannah, merging with the background of vegetation.

Litchi looks like a swamp goat in appearance. She has long and thin horns, which she throws on her back when she runs. The litchi has a long tail, coarse, coarse wool. Body color is dark red, but throat and neck are always white, as if the collar of a sweater. Long hooves are usually widely spaced.

Gerenuk or giraffe gazelle is another unusual representative of artiodactyls. The animal's body length is about 1.6 m. Males can boast beautifully curved, lyre-shaped horns.

Artiodactyl animals are one of the most numerous. They adorn the zoological world of our planet.