奇蹄目（Perissodactyla）,源自希臘文 περισσός (perissós,「不均勻的」) 和希臘文 δάκτυλος (dáktulos,「一根手指或腳趾」),意指「不均勻的腳趾」,這是因為這些動物通常將承重的腳趾減少到三個或五個原始腳趾中的一個（儘管貘在前腳上保留了四個腳趾）.非承重腳趾可能存在、缺失、退化或位於後方.

Perissodactyla, from Greek περισσός (perissós, “uneven”) and Greek δάκτυλος (dáktulos, “a finger, toe”), means “uneven-toed”, in reference to the fact that these animals typically have reduced the weight-bearing toes to three or one of the five original toes (though tapirs retain four toes on their front feet). The nonweight-bearing toes are either present, absent, vestigial, or positioned posteriorly.

種的俗名 Common names of members

馬、野驴、斑馬、貘和犀牛.

Horses, asses, zebras, tapirs and rhinoceroses.

分佈 Distribution 

中美洲和南美洲、非洲東部和南部,以及亞洲中部、南部和東南部.

Central and South America, eastern and southern Africa, and central, southern, and southeastern Asia.

體型 Size

牠們的體型從 1 公尺高、100 公斤到 2.5 公尺高、1,000 公斤不等.

Their size vary from 1 m tall and 100 kg of weight up to 2.5 m and 1,000 kg

形態描述 Morphology

馬科動物：牠們修長的脖子和頭部定義了牠們的特徵.牠們的體重由一根腳趾（從中間的腳趾發展而來）支撐,位於纖細的腿上.大多數馬科動物都有豎立的鬃毛和長尾巴,尾巴的末端有一束毛,除了家馬外,家馬的尾毛從尾根或尾部的上方延伸.

貘：牠們有展開的蹄足,前足有四個腳趾,後足有三個,還有一個小小的長鼻,橢圓形、白尖耳朵和圓潤、突出的小臀部,尾巴短小.除了馬來貘擁有白色的鞍狀標記和山貘擁有較長的毛髮外,其他貘的毛皮短且顏色從紅褐色到灰色,甚至幾乎是黑色.

犀牛：牠們巨大的體型、粗壯的腿和一根或兩根表皮角使牠們立刻辨識.某些犀牛可能有短或不明顯的角.這些動物的顏色範圍從石板灰到金棕色.牠的尾巴鬃毛和耳朵邊緣包含了大部分的體毛,剩下的毛髮則稀疏地分佈在身體的其他部分.

Equines: their lengthy necks and heads define them all. Their weight is supported by one digit (which developed from the middle digits) on their thin legs. Most equines have erect manes and long tails that culminate in a tuft of hair, with the exception of domestic horses, who have long tail hair extending from the top of the tailhead or dock.

Tapirs: they have spread, hooved toes, with four on the front foot and three on the hind foot, a tiny proboscis, oval, white-tipped ears, and rounded, projecting rumps with short tails. With the notable exceptions of the Malayan tapir, which has a white, saddle-shaped marking on its back, and the mountain tapir, which has longer, wooly hair, all of them have short coats that range in color from reddish brown to gray to practically black.

Rhinoceroses: Their huge bulk, stumpy legs, and either one or two dermal horns are what make them instantly recognizable. Certain individuals may have short or inconspicuous horns. These animals can have colors ranging from slate gray to golden brown. Its tail bristles and ear fringes contain the majority of its body hair, with the remainder being sparsely scattered across the rest of the body.

生態與棲息地 Ecology & Habitat 

貘通常獨自生活,多數在熱帶林地中.在亞洲,潮濕的沼澤或森林環境中是犀牛的棲息地,犀牛通常獨自在乾燥的草原上生活.馬則喜歡群居,並喜歡開放的空間,如半沙漠、草原和草地.

Tapirs live alone, mostly in tropical woods. In Asia, damp marsh or forested environments are home to rhinos, who typically dwell alone in arid savannas. Horses thrive in herds and like open spaces like semi-deserts, steppes, and grasslands.

食性 Diet 

牠們作為草食性動物,只吃草、葉子和其他植物部分,不同程度地攝取.通常會區分主要以草為食的動物（如白犀牛、馬科動物）和以葉子為主食的動物（如貘、其他犀牛）.

They only eat grass, leaves, and other plant parts to varied degrees as herbivores. It's common to distinguish between feeders that feed mostly on grass (white rhinos, equines) and feeders that feed on leaves (tapirs, other rhinos).

繁殖 Reproduction 

季節性多次發情,通常只產下一隻幼仔,這些動物有著較長的懷孕期和小的胎次.犀牛的懷孕期是最長的,持續在330到500天之間.早熟（precocial）指的是這些奇蹄類幼仔出生時已經有一定的自主能力；例如,小馬在出生後幾個小時就能開始跟隨母親.幼仔通常會被母乳餵養相當長的時間——通常到第二年——直到牠們在八歲或十歲時達到性成熟.

Seasonally polyestrous, typically giving birth to just one young, these animals have a lengthy gestation period and a tiny litter size. Rhinos have the longest gestation period, lasting between 330 and 500 days. Precocial refers to the fact that young perissodactyls are born already somewhat autonomous; for instance, young horses can start following their mothers within a few hours after birth. The infants are breastfed for a considerable amount of time — typically into their second year — until they attain sexual maturity at the age of eight or ten.

已知的物種

Total species known

3

博物館收藏的物種

Species in the collection

1

在香港已知的物種

Species in Hong Kong

0

References

Pough, F. H., Janis, C. M., Heiser, J. B. (2012). Vertebrate Life. Pearson.

Macdonald, D. W. (2006). The Encyclopedia of mammals. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780199206087.001.0001. 

Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press.