Artiodactyla
Category archives for Artiodactyla
Bovids Of The World
Posted by Greg Laden on April 13, 2016 
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, there are 143 species of bovids. The Animal Diversity Web is a bit less precise, indicating that there are “more than 140 extant and 300 extinct species.” That second number is highly questionable because today there exist sister species that are so similar I doubt they could be told apart…
Are Pigs Really Like People?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 11, 2015 
We hear this all the time. Pig physiology is like people physiology. Pigs and humans have the same immune system, same digestive system, get the same diseases. Pigs are smart like people are smart. Pigs are smarter than dogs. And so on. Ask a faunal expert in archaeology or a human paleoanatomist: Pig teeth are…
Caribou Cam Proves Reindeer Are Real
Posted by Greg Laden on November 29, 2013 
Every now and then, more often than you might expect, I mention something in lecture (usually in a classroom in front of students) and a small number of individuals express incredulity that the thing exists. Pygmies are one of those terms that garners disbelief. Many people assume they are made up. At the same time,…
Keep an eye on the prey: You’ll find the predator
Posted by Greg Laden on August 10, 2010 In Robert Gardner’s documentary film Dead Birds, the men of a highland New Guinea village guard the perimeter of the territory, watchful for men of the neighboring group who may be intent on sneaking into the gardens to capture and kill an unwitting child or woman in order to avenge a prior death. But they…
Giraffes
Posted by Greg Laden on December 9, 2008 View larger image
Antidorcas marsupialis
Posted by Greg Laden on December 2, 2008 Also known as the “Anti-Dork Antelope.” Not really. These are springbok. The springbok has four remarkable characteristics. It is among the most dramatically colored of the antelopes, with the starkest contrast between the dark lateral stripe and the light brown (above) and white (below) fur. It is the fastest of the antelopes, by far. Lions…
Okapi: More lies than Sarah Palin!!!
Posted by Greg Laden on September 12, 2008 Well, not really lies, but untruths. As perhaps the only person blogging on Scienceblogs.com who has actually eaten an okapi (Okapi johnstoni), I feel the need to clarify some misconceptions that are floating around about this beast. If you go to the Sb home page, you’ll find numerous links to the current Okapi story, about…
Eland
Posted by Greg Laden on January 3, 2008 Taurotragus oryx, Kalahari, South Africa.
Impala
Posted by Greg Laden on December 19, 2007 Aepyceros melampus. This is one of the more widespread antelopes. Impala can be either grazers or browsers. They are pretty and they taste good. This herd is located at De Wildt’s Reserve very near Johannesburg
The African Buffalo
Posted by Greg Laden on December 5, 2007 The African Buffalo is NOT a bison, and it is NOT a “water buffalo” (it is not even the same genus as water buffalo). But like these other beasts, it is a kind of cattle. The scientific name of the African Buffalo, or Cape Buffalo, is Syncerus caffir. Only the most cynical taxonomists would support…