Ungulates
INDEX
WHAT ARE UNGULATES?
TYPES OF UNGULATES
UNGULATES, MAN AND CONSERVATION
UNGULATES OF THE BAHAMAS
UNGULATES OF ARDASTRA
WHAT ARE UNGULATES?
The word ungulate literally means “hoofed animal” and it is generally used to describe any animal with hoofed feet. The ungulates includes several orders of mammals that are not closely related to one another, as was once believed but rather share similar features.
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TYPES OF UNGULATES
Below are the different orders within the ungulates:
- Odd-toed ungulates (Perissodactyla) – horses, zebras, tapirs and rhinos.
- Even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla) – cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, deer, giraffe etc.
- Dolphins and whales (Cetacea)
- Elephants (Proboscidea)
- Dugongs and manatees (Sirenia)
- Hyraxes (Hyracoidea)
Recent developments have indicated that aardvarks and elephant shrews should also be included in this group.
The odd-toed and even-toed ungulates make up the largest portion of the ungulate group. They are mostly terrestrial (land-based) animals and tend to be the large grazers of the world.
Odd-toed ungulates
These are very large, land browsing and grazing mammals, with relatively small stomachs and a large middle toe. They first appeared on the planet about 60 million years ago and quickly spread and diversified to become the dominant land-based browsers by about 30 million years ago. This group is divided into two, the horses (Hippomorpha) which are built for speed and the tapirs and rhinos (Ceratomorpha) which are more heavy set. Today, the odd-toed mammals face more competition from other even-toed herbivores and have had to with-stand heavy hunting by humans.
Even-toed ungulates
These are medium-sized, grazing mammals with a complex digestive system, which walk on their third and fourth toe. They first appeared about 50 million years ago and were out-numbered by the odd-toed mammals of that time. They only filled small specialized niches until the rise of the grasses about 20 million years where their complex digestion systems took advantage of the course and nutrient poor grasses that quickly spread across the planet. Since then they have been the dominant grazers of the planet. They are divided into three major groups, the pigs and hippos (Suiform), the camels and llamas (Tylopoda), and the deer, goats and cattle (Ruminantia).
UNGULATES, MAN AND CONSERVATION
For at least 10,000 years, humans have hunted various ungulates mainly for their meat and hide. Some ungulates have done well under human intervention with their domestication in agriculture, however, many have gone extinct or are on the verge of extinction because of humans.
Horses, goats, sheep, pigs and cows have all been domesticated by people over hundreds of years. Ungulates have been bred to the extent that they no longer resemble their wild relatives and many ungulates have escaped from their farms and therefore they have been introduced to many countries through out the world as ferel populations.
A recent ungulate that went extinct was a sub-species of zebra known as the Quagga from South Africa. Scientists were trying to determine whether to place it as a species onto itself when it went extinct in the late 1870’s. It was hunted for its meat, hide and to protect grazing land for farm animals. Unfortunately, the last one died in a zoo in Amsterdam in 1883 before it was rightfully placed as a separate species.
The Arabian Oryx is an antelope from the deserts and grasslands of Arabia which went extinct in the wild, in 1972, from over hunting. However, a collaborative breeding program in zoos from around the world has helped save this animal from becoming completely extinct. One hundred animals have been reintroduced in Oman, Jordan and Israel, with six hundred more in captivity. This is one of the biggest and most successful breeding programs ever attempted.
All species of rhinos are extremely endangered due to over-hunting and destruction of their habitat. Humans have hunted rhinos extensively because nearly all parts of the animal have been used in folk medicine. The most prized part of the rhino is its horn, which has been used as an aphrodisiac, fever-reducing drug, dagger handle, and as a potion for detecting poison. Many zoos are breeding rhinos in captivity to prevent then from going extinct.
UNGULATES OF THE BAHAMAS
The Bahamas does not have any ungulates that are native to these islands, however, there are several feral (returned to an untamed state from domestication) ungulates that live in the Bahamas today. Ungulates that are found in the Bahamas include, donkeys, horses, pigs, cattle and goats.
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UNGULATES OF ARDASTRA
Ardastra has even-toed ungulates; pigs, goats and sheep.
Pigs
Pigs belong to the suborder, Suiform, and includes the pigs, hippopotamuses and peccaries. This group typically has thick skin and unlike the other even-toed animals, do not have the complex digestive system and therefore they tend to be omnivorous (eating plants and animals).
The pig family, Suidae, is easily identified by their protruding, mobile snout, which at its tip, has a cartilaginous disk and nostrils. Pigs have an excellent sense of smell and use their snout for rooting in soil for food such as fungi, leaves, roots, bulbs, tubers, fruit, invertebrates, eggs and small vertebrates. The skin of pigs is thick, sparsely haired and is very sensitive to the sun and to prevent sunburn they coat their skin with mud. The Suidae family includes 16 different species, the best well known of these is the Wild boar, Sus scrofa. This is the pig species from which nearly all domesticated pigs come from. The word “Sus” is Latin for pig and “scrofa” means breeding sow. Archaeological evidence suggests that the domestication of this wild boar occurred some 9,000 years ago and was spread across Asia, Europe and Africa. Today, with selective breeding, there are more than 70 different breeds of domestic pig and they are now found all over the planet.
- Vietnamese pot-bellied pig (Sus scrofa)
The Vietnamese pot-belly is a dwarf swine that was developed in the 1960’s from a breed in Vietnam. Today, they are often house hold pets as they are known for their sweet nature. Full grown pot-bellied pigs can weigh between 70 and 150lbs on average. They have a short snout and short legs. As the name suggests, it has a sagging abdomen and their loose skin gives them a wrinkled appearance. Ardastra has a pot-bellied pig, named Lullabelle that can be seen walking around freely or sleeping in her favorite spot in the gardens. Lullabelle is a very large pot-belly, weighing in at 200 lbs, and is probably a hybrid with a larger variety.
Sheep
Sheep belong to the family, Bovidae, which also includes goats, cattle, antelopes and relatives. Sheep all belong to the genus, Ovis of which there are 8 different species, including the domestic, big horned, Dall and snow sheep, as well as the European moufflon, the Asiatic moufflon and the Urial.
Sheep are generally stockier than other bovines, some even having horns. The genus Ovis is, however, characterized by the presence of glands situated in the shallow depression in the lacrimal bone (between eye and nose), the groin area and between the two main toes of the foot. These glands secrete a greasy yellow known as lanolin, substance that gives domestic sheep their characteristic smell.
Domestic sheep are extremely versatile and exist in a wide variety of habitats ranging from temperate mountain forests to desert conditions. These hardy bovines can survive on a diet consisting of only cellulose, starch or sugars and feed mainly on grasses. Sheep generally spend their days alternating between periods of grazing and ruminating. Ovis aries have a complex stomach which is able to digest highly fibrous foods which cannot be digested by many other animals. Its modest nutritional requirements contribute to its economic importance.
There are over one billion sheep living all over the world today which includes wild, domestic and feral populations. The establishment of feral herbivores, like sheep, has had significant ecological impacts on island ecosystems. Island ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to herbivores as insular plants have evolved largely in the absence of large herbivores, therefore lacking in defenses against them. Over grazing by feral sheep can also lead to soil erosion, forest degradation and undesired food competition for critically endangered native species.
- Domestic sheep (Ovis aries)
The domestic sheep, Ovis aries, is thought to be descended from the wild Moufflon (Ovis musimon) of central and southwest Asia. There are two wild populations of wild Moufflon still in existence: The Asiatic Moufflon which is still found in the mountains of Asia minor and southern Iran and the European moufflon of which the only existing members are on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica.
Sheep were among the first animals to become domesticated. Current chromosomal and archeological evidence indicates that domestication of sheep occurred about 9,000-11,000 years ago. Over the centuries, animal producers have bred sheep selecting for wool type, flocking instinct and other economically important traits, resulting in over 200 distinct species of domestic sheep.
Ardastra gardens has 2 female sheep named Maypearl and Savanna who live in the Ardastra petting zoo.
Goats
Goats, like sheep, belong to the family, Bovidae, but are members of the genus, Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild goat. Along with sheep, goats were among the first animals domesticated, with easy human access to hair, meat and milk being the primary motivations.
The goat is closely related to the sheep, but differs slightly in the its tail is shorter and their horns are long and directed upward, back ward and outward while those of the sheep are spirally twisted. Being so similar, goats and sheep can be successfully mated, however, due to the fact that they have a different number of chromosomes the offspring normally parish. The breeding season of the goat, which is governed by photoperiod (day length), extends from late summer to early winter. Males compete, by butting heads, for hierarchy status and access to females to mate.
- Domestic goats (Capra aegagrus hircus)
Domestic goats are a domesticated subspecies of the wild goat, Capra aegagrus, from Central Asia. C. a. hircus can be raised in almost all habitats as they can survive on very thin grass that would not support other grazers. Due to a long history of domestication, there are many different breeds of C. a. hircus, having many different attributes. The six traditional breeds of goats are Nubian, Alpine, Saanen, Toggenburg, LaMancha, and Oberhasli. Other breeds which are growing in popularity include Pygmy, Boer, Cashmere, and Angora.
Pygmy goats
The Pygmy Goat is a breed that came from the former French colony of Cameroon in Africa and was originally called the Cameroon dwarf goat. Ardastra houses three pygmy goats.
Nubian goats
Nubians were developed in England by crossing British goats with bucks of African and Indian origin. Ardastra houses one Nubian goat.
Hybrid goats
There are many hybrids of the different goat breeds. Ardastra has a hybrid goat that is commonly found on the Bahamian islands. These goats are primarily bred for Mutton and are therefore bred to be quite large goats.
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