Order Artiodactyla

Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Chordata > Class: Mammalia > Order: Artiodactyla

These are the even-toed ungulates, cloven-hooved mammals. The weight of the animal is carried by its 3rd and 4th toes. Artiodactyla are sometimes put in a superorder Cetartiodactyla together with the order Cetacea (whales & dolphins) as evidence suggests the cetaceans evolved from artiodactyl ancestors. They can be further subdivided into 3 suborders. With the exceptions of pigs and peccaries, who are omnivores, they are all herbivores and many are ruminates (R). See The Animal Diversity Web for further information. Where I have photos I have included some information and further classification (see below).

Family Antilocapridae (pronghorn) R
Family Bovidae (cattle, bison, gazelles, sheep, goats) R
Family Camelidae (camels, llamas)
Family Cervidae (deer, moose, reindeer, elk) R
Family Giraffidae (giraffes) R
Family Hippopotamidae (hippopotamuses)
Family Moschidae (musk deer) R
Family Suidae (pigs)
Family Tayassuidae (peccaries)
Family Tragulidae (mouse-deer) R

Family: Bovidae (cattle, bison, yaks, waterbucks, wildebeest, gazelles, springboks, sheep, musk oxen, goats)

These can be subdivided into subfamilies but as I have only seen a couple I have left it at the family level.

Bison bison (American bison)
Oreamnos americanus (mountain goat)

We came across lots of bison during my Yellowstone trip. They caused a lot of traffic jams but nobody seem to mind. We were also lucky to see a group of mountain goats at close range at the Beartooth Pass (3,337m) in Wyoming.

Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) — *Oreamnos americanus*
Mountain goats (mother and kid) at Beartooth Pass (Wyoming) – August 2017

American bison (Bison bison) — *Bison bison*
American bison in Grand Teton NP, USA – August 2017

Family: Cervidae (deer, moose, reindeer, elk)

The deer family includes 3 subfamilies but the classification of cervids has been controversial and a single well-supported phylogenetic and taxonomic history has yet to be established. It’s characterised by the males having antlers with just a couple of exceptions. Caribou where both sexes have antlers and Chinese water deer where neither have antlers. Most are herd animals.

Alces alces (moose or elk)
Cervus elaphus (red deer)
Cervus nippon (Sika deer)
Capreolus capreolus (roe deer)
Dama dama (fallow deer)
Odocoileus hemionus (mule deer)
Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus (Svalbard reindeer) (to be added)

Despite moose being quite common in Norway I had never managed to see any until I stumbled upon one on a walk in the woods in Norway during our family holiday in the mountins in August 2010. I’m not sure who was more surprised, the moose or me. Once the rest of the family had caught up with me the moose had gone. Since then I have seen lots more.

Moose (Alces alces) — *Alces alces*
Moose – in Moose, Wyoming, August 2017

Moose (A. alces) — *Alces alces*
Moose (Elk) – Two Ocean Lake, Wyoming – August 2017

Male red deer (C. elaphus) — *Cervus elaphus*
Male red deer at Bushy Park, London – October 2017

Sika deer (C. nippon) — *Cervus nippon*
Sika deer – Nara, Japan – April 2016

Female roe deer (C. capreolus) — *Capreolus capreolus*
Roe deer (female) – Elstead, UK – January 2017

Male roe deer (C. capreolus) — *Capreolus capreolus*
Roe deer (male) – Elstead, UK – January 2017

Fallow deer (D. dama) — *Dama dama*
Fallow deer at Petworth Park, UK – November 2015

Mule deer (O. hemionus) — *Odocoileus hemionus*
Mule deer – Yellowstone National Park – August 2017

Other families

I am grouping together the remaining photos I have in this order below.

Family Antilocapridae (pronghorn antelope)
- Artiodactyla americana (pronghorn)
Family Camelidae (camels, llamas)
- Vicugna pacos (alpaca)
Family Suidae – (pigs & hogs)
- Genus Suini
Family Tayassuidae (peccaries)
- Pecari tajacu (collared peccary)

I have ridden a camel, an experience never to be repeated (look for photo). I have seen wild boars in Spain but didn’t have my camera. My cousin sent me a photo of then and I may include that.