EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -perissodactyl, any member of the order Perissodactyla, a group of herbivorous mammals characterized by the possession of either one or three hoofed toes on each hindfoot. They include the horses, asses, and zebras, the tapirs, and the rhinoceroses.

Detailed explanation-2: -The order Perissodactyla includes three families: the horses and their allies (Equidae, the only family in the suborder Hippomorpha), the rhinoceroses (Rhinocerotidae), and the tapirs (Tapiridae). The last two families are closely related and are grouped together as the Ceratomorpha.

Detailed explanation-3: -Equidae, Tapiridae, and Rhinocerotidae are families within the mammalian order Perissodactyla and are distinguished from the family Artiodactyla by their foot morphology and digestive system. Equidae is a small family that includes the horses, wild asses, and zebras.

Detailed explanation-4: -Equid interrelationships and phylogeny. Extant equids (horses, zebras, and asses) and fossil horses are classified in the family Equidae as part of the Order Perissodactyla, or ‘odd-toed ungulates. ‘ Other perissodactyl families include tapirs (Tapiridae), rhinoceroses (Rhinocerotidae), and several extinct families.