Subungulates“almost ungulates”

Three Crazy Orders!

Subungulates Three Orders:

Hyraxes - resemble rodents Elephants Sirenians - ungainly aquatic

mammals Based on appearance, no

connection Common ancestral stock

related to ungulates - supported by DNA and biochemical evidence

Order Proboscidea: Elephants Ancestor of elephants: Begins in Late Eocene of

Egypt with Moeritherium - tapir-sized animal Second incisor modified

to be a small tusk Lived in mangrove

forests of late Eocene and filled role of hippo!

Moeritherium

Order Proboscidea Mastodons - different

line than mammoths and elephants

Resembled elephants but for their teeth

Tusks on upper jaw- 2nd incisor

Mammut americanus - may have been exterminated by early humans - Florida

Mastodon

Mastodon

Mastodon

Ice age: video clip

Mammuthus:

Order Proboscidea

Wooly mammoth - lived in tundra and forests near icefields,

Imperial mammoth - inhabited dryer areas of SW US; giant - 14 feet at shoulder! Tusks were 13 feet long and weighed a half ton.

Order Proboscidea Family Elephantidae

Two living genera African and Asian Largest living land mammal Elongation of nose - long, dextrous proboscis

(trunk) with one or two fingers at tip

Order Proboscidea Elephant dentition:

Tusks, second upper incisor Cheek teeth - 6 cheek teeth but only one functional at a

time; as teeth wear out, they are replaced by one that is posterior.

Elephant teeth:

Order Proboscidea Elephant morphology

Skull short and high with air pockets; neck short

Head weighs 12-15% of body weight

Protected braincase All limb bones lack

marrow; filled with spongy bone

Heel pad of dense connective tissue braces the toes and largely supports the weight of the animal

Order Proboscidea Elephant Habits:

Lifespan: 70 average (69-77 documented) - potential for 80 years, teeth wear out

Inhabit savanna and forests, must be relatively near water

Reports of feeding range from 10 miles/day Feeds on trees, shrubs, grasses, and aquatic plants Can do great damage to crops - conflict Females for kinship groups - males excluded Two species: Elephas maximus - Indian elephant;

and Loxodonta africana - African elephant

Order Proboscidea Asian or Indian Elephant:

Height:10 feet Female average weight: 8,000

pounds Males up to 12,000 pounds True color is often masked by

color of soil on skin Smaller ears, 4 nails Head is the highest point! Trunk with one finger-like

projection

Asian or Indian Elephant

Order Proboscidea African Elephant:

Height: 12-14 feetWeight: 8,000 females-16,000 males: pounds Forehead more convex, large ears Shoulders are the highest point! Trunk - two finger-like projections Two feeding peaks - morning and evening/night Drink at least once a day; never far from water Shade is essential; thermoregulate with ears Well-developed senses of smell, sight, and hearing http://animal.discovery.com/videos/jaws-and-claws-2-elephant-

surge.html

African Elephant

African Elephant

Asian compared to African The neck is low, and then curving up The skin is less wrinkled Ears are small, looks like Indian continent Head has two bumps Forehead is protruding The underlip is long, narrow and pointed Only about 50% of bulls wear long tusks (Sumatran subspecies) The front feet have five nails, the hind feet four (like the african

forest elephant) The trunk tip has one prehensile protrusion http://www.upali.ch/differences_en.html

Order Proboscidea Reproduction

Polyestrous - can give birth at any time of the year Gestation: 615-668 days Calf: 200 pounds Babies have a coat of sparse brown hair - halo effect Suckles from mouth and not trunk - mom or other

lactating female Babies start eating vegetation at a few months, but

nurse for about 18 months Graphic birth video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWLCzw4rJ-

w&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Order Proboscidea Conservation of Asian Elephants

Numbers: 16,595 to 22,261 (3,000 captivity) Sri Lanka: 1900 - 12,000; today - <1,000 1/2 jeopardized by agricultural development Keystone species - opens forests

Order Proboscidea Conservation of African Elephants

L. africana cyclotis - smaller, darker forest elephant L. africana africana - paler bush or savanna elephant

1860-1930 - 25,000-100,000 shot per year; ivory sent to Indian carvers, and for piano keys to Europe and US

Kenya population - 167,000 in 1973 to 70,000 in 1977

End of 1980s - at brink of extinction; >$100/kg ivory; 100,000 killed per year; illegally

Order Proboscidea Conservation of African Elephants

Japan and US were the two largest importers! 1986, US imports = 32,000 dead elephants An additional 11,000 for skins and artifacts $100,000,000 industry in US alone 1979 - 1.3 million; by 1989 - 625,000: 2012:_______ Kenya: 65,000 to 19,000 Sudan: 134,000 to 40,000 Tanzania: 326,000 to 80,000 Zambia: 150,000 to 40,000 http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Uns5RHA59wA&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Order Hyracoidea Single Family, Procaviidae, 3 genera

Referred to in Bible as “rock badgers” Hyrax means “shrew mouse” Closely related to other

“subungulates” Central and southern Africa Found in rocky outcrops, sea level to

4200 m

Order Hyracoidea

Yellow spotted hyrax

Rock Hyrax w/babies

Tree hyrax

Order Hyracoidea

Order Hyracoidea: Unique advantages to avoid predators

Hyraxes are not rodentsWhy?________________

Order Hyracoidea Mainly eat plants, some

poisonous. Colonial; live in groups of 25-80 Poor thermoregulators; huddle to conserve heat Very vocal, as are many

colonial mammals:

Order Hyracoidea 1- 2 feet long, short, compact bodies with

short tails 2-11 pounds weight 9-12 year life span Need good traction for climbing and jumping

on rocks: Toes short with hoof-like nails Unlike elephants and manatees, dentition not replaced horizontally. Hunted for meat and fur; urine used as dye Not endangered

Order Sirenia Two Families:

Dugongidae with one species, the dugong (Dugon dugon)

Trichechidae with three species of manatees, Genus Trichechus

Never leave the water Only marine mammal herbivores! Inhabits coastal areas, estuaries,

bays, and inland river systems in tropical regions

Order Sirenia Live in water that is about 20

degrees C; poor ability to thermoregulate and low metabolic rate

They face little or no competition from other herbivores

The basis for the myth of Mermaids????

Large with a fusiform body shape No fur except stiff bristles around

snout No external ear; nostrils valvular,

top of rostrum

Order Sirenia Skeletal bones are dense (pachyostotic)

to counter buoyant effects of living in shallow water

Lungs are long and thin and extend through much of the body cavity

Hunting has caused population reductions; all species are at least threatened

Poaching, flood control gates, motorboat accidents

Poor hearing sensitivity to low frequencies Habitat loss is continued threat

Family Dugongidae Average 12 feet, 800 pounds Tail fluke is notched! Rostrum is much more

deflected downward Avoid freshwater more than

manatees Forage by using forelimbs to

“walk” on bottom

Family Dugongidae

Found in coastal areas of Pacific Ocean throughout Micronesia, New Guinea, northern Australia, Philippines, Indonesia northward to Vietnam

Order Sirenia Family Dugongidae

Order SireniaFamily Dugongidae

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2685429.htm

Family Trichechidae West Indian manatee occurs from

Florida south through the Caribbean sea to northeast Brazil; as far north as Rhode Island!

Amazonian manatee does not tolerate saltwater

West African manatee fresh- or saltwater rivers or estuaries along coast of Africa

7-12 feet; mass typically = 1200 pounds; record = 3500 pounds

Rounded spatulate tails, and small nasal bones, unlike dugongs

Only have cheek teeth, like elephants, they are replaced from the rear forward

Order Sirenia Family Trichechidae

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/sunrise-earth-manatee-springs.html

West Indian Manatee Distribution

Amazonian Manatee Distribution

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8238699.stm

West African Manatee Distribution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvwmoA_Q8zE&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Family Trichechidae Unlike elephants, they have 4-5 teeth at

a time Indefinite number of teeth: between 10-

30 This is known as “functional

polyphyodonty,” important for animals that wear their teeth down quickly eating vascular plants in sand and mud

Usually solitary individuals, or in small groups

Sometimes form larger groups in winter near warm discharges of water

Gestation = 13 months, Weaned 12-18 months; thus, low reproductive potential