Artiodactyla

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Artiodactyla \Ar`ti*o*dac"ty*la\, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? even +
     ? finger or toe.] (Zool.)
     One of the divisions of the ungulate animals. The functional
     toes of the hind foot are even in number, and the third digit
     of each foot (corresponding to the middle finger in man) is
     asymmetrical and paired with the fourth digit, as in the hog,


     the sheep, and the ox; -- opposed to {Perissodactyla}.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Artiodactyla
       n : an order of hooved mammals of the subclass Eutheria
           (including pigs and peccaries and hippopotami and members
           of the suborder Ruminantia) having an even number of
           functional toes [syn: {order Artiodactyla}]