My Science School

Ungulates are a group of mammals that have hooves instead of claws on their feet. They are all quite large, with long faces and good senses of smell and sight. Most ungulates have a coat of coarse hairs rather than soft fur. They are all plant-eaters, taking food straight from the plant or the ground with their lips, teeth and tongue.

Ungulates have large, flat teeth for grinding down plant material, and specially-adapted digestive systems to get as much nourishment as possible from their food. Because of their large size, many ungulates have to spend most of their time eating.

Ungulates have evolved to walk on their toes, which have become hard hooves. This gives them speed to escape from danger. Ungulates that live in forests and have to search for their food are often solitary, while those that live in open spaces and feed on abundant plants such as grasses tend to live in herds.

Ungulates are divided into two groups: the odd-toed ungulates, which have one or three toes, and the even-toed ungulates, which have two or four toes. The odd-toed ungulates include horses and zebras, which have a single toe, and rhinoceroses and tapirs, which have three toes on each foot.

Horses, asses and zebras live in grasslands and deserts, feeding on grass. They have sharp front teeth for biting off blades of grass, and grinding back teeth for chewing. Their long tails are covered with hair all over in the horses, but only at the tip in asses and zebras. All horses and zebras have a mane of hair on their necks.

Horses have excellent eyesight and can spot a predator in almost any direction. They can also run at top speed for long distances. Where food is plentiful, they live in herds consisting of a male and a group of females and their foals. Male horses or zebras will fight for the right to lead a herd.

The tapir family is one of the oldest in the world. Tapirs are found in the forests of Central and South America and Southeast Asia. They use their small trunks to sniff out leaves and pull them towards their mouths.

Tapirs are nocturnal animals, and rely on their dark colouring to camouflage them among the trees and protect them from predators. The Malayan tapir has large patches of black and white that break up its outline in the darkness. The natural enemies of tapirs are big cats such as the jaguar, but humans are also threatening them by destroying much of their habitat.

Rhinoceroses form the third group of odd-toed ungulates. Their huge bodies are armoured with thick skin, and they have one or more horns on their heads. These are actually made from a hardened material called keratin, similar to that found in our fingernails. Several kinds of rhinoceros are in danger of dying out because of hunting by humans for their horns.

Unlike most other ungulates, rhinoceroses have poor eyesight, but their hearing and sense of smell is good. They are mainly solitary animals, though they may sometimes form small groups. White rhinoceroses graze on short grass while other kinds prefer to browse on woody plants, leaves and fruits. The browsers have a prehensile upper lip, to grasp food more easily. Rhinoceroses like to be near water to keep cool. They roll in the mud to protect their skin from biting insects.