Artiodactyls are a large order that unites a variety of herbivorous animals with thick hairy thin skin. The size of its representatives varies widely from tiny forest antelope-duikers the size of a hare to huge hippopotamuses weighing several tons. Most often these are slender, long-legged animals of a light build, usually adapted to fast movement. Unlike equids, they have two developed supporting fingers - the third and fourth, in the middle of which runs the axis of the limb (hence the name of the order). Their ends are covered with a thick layer of horny hoof, like a case or shoe. The remaining lateral fingers (two in most species) are less developed and located slightly above the middle ones. The terminal phalanges on all fingers are covered with hooves.
A notable feature of the structure of the teeth of most artiodactyls is the complete absence of upper incisors, due to which the animals are not able to pinch grass, as horses do, or gnaw it like rodents. They grab juicy greens with their tongues (hippos use their lips) and then trim the stems with their chisel-shaped lower incisors.
Currently, artiodactyls are divided into two suborders: ruminants (antelopes, rams, giraffes, bison, goats, deer) and non-ruminants (hippos, peccaries, pigs).
Ruminant artiodactyls regurgitate food that enters the stomach and chew it again. These include animals with a more complex structure of the stomach, which consists of four sections: abomasum, book, mesh and rumen. The suborder received its name for the presence of chewing gum - a lump of regurgitated plant food that requires modification in the oral cavity. Food enters the rumen directly from the esophagus and is fermented under the influence of microorganisms, then from the rumen into the mesh. With frequent belching, sufficiently moistened with saliva and ground food goes directly into the book (deer do not have a book) in the form of liquid porridge, where it is dehydrated, and from there it enters the abomasum for final treatment with gastric juice.
Non-ruminant artiodactyls include only 12 species of animals from 3 families. They do not chew food repeatedly, are omnivores and are distinguished by a massive body, a significant layer of subcutaneous fat, short four-fingered limbs and the absence of horns. Their fangs extend outside the mouth, and there is a cartilaginous patch on the muzzle. The stomach has a simple structure.
The places where artiodactyls live are very diverse. These are steppes, forest-steppes, deserts, foothills and forests. Animals enter the tundra and even climb mountains. The largest number of species are found in open areas. The vast majority of animals lead a land-based lifestyle, only a few, for example hippos, are found in the water. Some have adapted to life in mountainous areas and are excellent rock climbers. Wild artiodactyls are found in all corners of the world except Oceania, Australia, Antarctica and islands remote from the mainland. The largest number of them live in Asia and Africa. On the American continent, especially in South America, only peccaries, some species of deer and camels are found.
Typically, representatives of the detachment keep in herds, almost never use shelters and do not build their own shelters. Most are excellent runners and grass-eating herbivores. Cubs of artiodactyls of the “brood” type are born (usually no more than 2-3, but sometimes more than 10) fully developed and can run after their mother just a few hours after birth.
Back in the days primitive man artiodactyls served as the main source of food and continue to be so today. Cows, pigs, sheep and goats are the main suppliers of meat, milk and a wide variety of dairy products. Their leather is the main material for the shoe industry. Wool is used to make felt, horns are used as material for buttons and small crafts, and wood glue is made from leather production waste. In addition, it should be noted that pigs are carriers of the influenza virus, and mad cow disease can be transmitted to humans through milk, meat or direct physical contact.
Wild artiodactyls are the main food of predators, a popular object of sport hunting all over the world and play important role in the development of ecotourism, which is due to the accessibility of their habitat. They also pose a significant threat to agriculture, eating and damaging crops and infecting livestock with a variety of diseases.
Topic: “Orders Artiodactyls and Odd-toed ungulates.” The goal is to consider the structural features and life activity of representatives of these two orders.
Both of these orders together are usually called ungulates. As the name suggests, animals have hoofs on their legs. The hoof, by origin, is a highly modified claw (Fig. 1).
Rice. 1. Sectional view of the hoof
2. Order Artiodactyls
The order Artiodactyls is given its name because the animals have two developed fingers on each limb, the third and fourth. The ends of the toes are covered with a durable horny hoof. The second and fifth fingers are underdeveloped, and the first has disappeared completely. The order includes pigs, sheep, goats, antelopes, hippopotamuses, giraffes and other animals (Fig. 2–4).
Rice. 2 Warthog
Rice. 3. Antelope
Rice. 4. Giraffe
Even-toed ungulates are mostly large or medium-sized. They live in forests, steppes, deserts, mountains and tundras. Modern artiodactyls are herbivores or omnivores, and among the extinct representatives of the order there were also predators.
The stomach can have a complex structure and consist of 4 sections (Fig. 6). The muzzle is elongated, the head often has horns or fangs, with which the animal obtains food and defends itself from enemies (Fig. 5).
Rice. 5. Deer antlers
Rice. 6. Structure of the stomach of artiodactyls
They are distributed over all continents except Antarctica and Australia, but Australia is now inhabited by ungulates that were brought there by humans. The total number of known species of artiodactyls is about 200. The order is divided into 2 suborders: Non-ruminant and Ruminant.
3. Suborder non-ruminants
The suborder Non-ruminants includes 3 families and just over 10 species. This includes pigs, hippos and peccaries (Fig. 7, 8). Non-ruminants have a massive body and short four-fingered limbs. The fangs are usually extended outside the mouth, with their help animals can get food and protect themselves from predators.
Rice. 7. Bearded pig
Rice. 8. Babirussa
At the end of the muzzle there is a cartilaginous patch (Fig. 9). Representatives of this order are omnivores. The stomach has a simple structure. There are no horns, there is a significant subcutaneous layer of fat.
Rice. 9. Javan pig
There are 9 modern species in the pig family. Let's take a wild pig, or wild boar, as an example (Fig. 10). It is widespread in Europe, Asia and America. It lives in forests, lowlands, along the shores of lakes and bushes. Wild boars living in Europe usually have a length of 130 to 175 cm.
Rice. 10. Wild boar
The front part of their body is more elevated and reaches a height of 100 cm. The average weight is from 60 to 150 kg, sometimes up to 300 kg. Thick skin is covered with thick and hard bristles of brown color. The canines of the lower jaw of males are curved and are up to 10 cm long (Fig. 11).
Rice. 11. Canines of the lower jaw
Wild boars feed on grass, fruits that have fallen to the ground, tubers and plant rhizomes. The food is extracted from the ground, and the animal tears it apart with its fangs. You can often see boar potholes in the forest; sometimes wild boars damage plantings, such as potatoes.
Wild boars live in small herds and breed in the spring. Females give birth to 4-5, and sometimes up to 12 piglets (Fig. 12). The cubs are sighted and active from the first day of life. The mother feeds the piglets with milk for 2–3 months. Females reach sexual maturity at 8–10 months, males - in the 2nd year of life.
Rice. 12. Piglets
Wild boars are an important hunting object. Many breeds of domestic pigs have been developed from wild boar. Unlike their ancestor, they quickly increase body weight and are generally much larger. Domestic pigs have a thick layer of subcutaneous fat - lard. They have almost no thick bristles (Fig. 13). Domestic piglets are born without longitudinal stripes on the body (Fig. 14).
Rice. 13. Domestic pigs
Rice. 14. Domestic pig with piglets
4. Suborder Ruminants
The Ruminant suborder includes just over 180 species from 6 families. Among the families, the most famous are Deer, Giraffidae and Bovids. The order got its name from the digestive characteristics of its representatives: these animals constantly chew the cud. Chewing gum is a lump of regurgitated plant food that requires additional processing in the oral cavity. The gum is regurgitated from the front of the complex stomach.
The stomach consists of 4 sections (Fig. 15). In the 1st section, the rumen, plant food under the influence of microorganisms is fermented and pushed into the 2nd section, the mesh, from the mesh it is regurgitated into the mouth, where it is moistened with saliva and ground again; this partially digested food is chewing gum.
The semi-liquid mass then enters the 3rd section, the book, where it is subjected to dehydration, then it enters the last section of the stomach, the abomasum, for final treatment with gastric juice.
Rice. 15. Sections of the stomach of ruminants
Why are plant foods first fermented with the help of microorganisms? The fact is that ruminants, like all other animals, do not have their own enzymes for breaking down the cellulose that is part of plants; intestinal mutualists, microorganisms, help them in this matter.
Ruminants have a slender body, their long limbs allow them to run quickly, the cubs are able to walk and even run from the first days of life. Long hairs of varying thickness and color grow on the skin. The subcutaneous layer of fat is almost not formed, there are no fangs, but there are often horns on the head (Fig. 16, 17).
Rice. 16. Giraffe
Rice. 17. Pronghorn
Some representatives, such as reindeer, are able to obtain food with the help of antlers. Many artiodactyls are protected animals and are listed in the Red Books. In particular, the bison, some species of deer and sheep, musk deer, gazelle and goral are included in the Red Book of Russia (Fig. 18–20).
Rice. 18. Bison
Rice. 19. Musk deer
Rice. 20. Goral
5. Order Odd-toed ungulates
The domestic cow also belongs to the order Artiodactyls (Fig. 21). It most likely originated from the tour, which has now completely disappeared from the face of the earth.
Rice. 21. Domestic cow with calf
The order Perissodactyls unites 16 species of large animals. Representatives of the order have several common characteristics: the limbs of most of them are equipped with hooves (Fig. 22), the middle finger is powerfully developed, it is usually larger than the others. The skeleton of artiodactyls lacks a collarbone. These animals feed only on plant foods.
Rice. 22. Sectional view of the hoof
The order includes 3 families: Tapirs, Horses and Rhinoceroses. Tapirs live in South America and Southeast Asia (Fig. 23). There are 4 types of modern tapirs; these animals have a short proboscis, consisting of an elongated nose and upper lip. Body length – from 180 to 200 cm. Weight – from 180–300 kg.
Rice. 23. Tapir
The front limbs of tapirs have 4 fingers, and the hind limbs have 3 with small hooves. Tapirs live in swampy places, the animals are quite mobile, they are hunted for meat and skin, 3 of the 4 species are now on the verge of extinction.
The Horse family of artiodactyls is most adapted to fast and long running. Representatives of the family have 1 toe on the front and hind limbs. The family includes zebras, kulans and wild asses (Somali and Nubian). Donkeys are usually between 100 and 120 cm in height. Wild donkeys live in Africa, in the steppes and savannas. Both modern species are rare and are protected. The domestic donkey appears to have originated from a cross between the Somali and Nubian donkeys (Figs. 24, 25).
Rice. 24. Somali donkey
Rice. 25. Nubian donkey
Donkeys are distinguished from horses by their long ears, short tail hair and narrow hooves. Traditionally, domesticated donkeys are riding and draft animals, as well as heavy force in agriculture.
The wild horse was discovered by Przewalski at the end of the 19th century in the mountain deserts of Central Asia; it was named after the discoverer - Przewalski's horse (Fig. 26). Currently, this animal is preserved only in the zoo. In total, there are now about 600 such animals on our planet.
Rice. 26. Przewalski's horse
The origins of the domestic horse are not entirely clear. Domestication may have occurred several times around 5–6 thousand years ago in different places. At the moment there are more than 100 breeds of domestic horses. Horses are pack, draft and riding animals and are used as a source of food or hides.
Kulan is a primitive horse, found wild in Central Asia and China (Fig. 27). This animal is rare, it is protected, and is listed in many Red Books. The kulan feeds on cereals and wormwood, as well as steppe and desert plants. Small herds of kulans, from 5 to 11 animals, unite in the fall into larger ones, up to several hundred animals. Kulans are capable of running very fast at speeds of up to 60 km/h.
Rice. 27. Kulan
Zebras (Fig. 28) are typical famous animals of Africa, sometimes they form mixed herds along with other herbivores. Zebras are hunted by many large predators and humans. Now zebras are rare and subject to mandatory protection.
Rice. 28. Zebras
In addition to natural, normally reproducing species of equids, there are also sterile hybrids produced by humans. A cross, or hybrid, of a donkey and a mare is called a mule (Fig. 29). This is an absolutely sterile, but quite strong and hardy animal, often used in agriculture. A cross between a stallion and a donkey is called a hinny (Fig. 30).
Rice. 29 Mule
Rice. 30. Hinny
The rhinoceros family includes only 5 modern species; these are large, very large, heavy animals, sometimes their weight is more than 3.5 tons, height - 1-2 meters, body length - from 2-5 meters (Fig. 31). The skin of rhinoceroses is very thick, almost devoid of hair. On the front of the muzzle there are 1 or 2 horns, and the black rhinoceros has from 3 to 5. The legs are short, three-toed. Rhinoceroses live in Africa and South Asia. All their species are on the verge of extinction and are subject to mandatory protection.
Rice. 31. Indian rhinoceros
6. Order Callopods
The order Callopods are the closest relatives of artiodactyls. Some scientists even consider calloseds within the order Artiodactyls. Now only one family belongs to the order Callopods, the Camelidae family. These are camels (Fig. 32), living in the deserts of Africa and Asia, and their South American relatives, llamas and vicuñas (Fig. 33).
Rice. 32. Camel
Callousfoots owe their name to the structure of the foot. The foot is formed by a soft calloused protrusion, the limbs of calloseds are two-toed, and at the ends of the fingers there are only blunt curved claws, not hooves. Callouseds walk relying on the phalanges of their fingers, and not on their ends, like ungulates.
Rice. 33. Vicuna
7. Hippo family
The Hippopotamus family includes only 2 species of hippopotamuses, both species live in Africa. These animals are semi-aquatic; they prefer shallow bodies of water with dense vegetation along the banks and with good approaches.
Hippopotamuses (Fig. 34) swim and dive well, and also move quite quickly on land. These animals live in families, feed on succulent herbaceous plants, of which they eat up to 40 kg per day.
They breed 2 times a year, bringing 1 cub. The cub is quite large, weighing up to 45–50 kg. Hippos become sexually mature by the age of 9 and live up to 50 years.
Rice. 34. Hippopotamus
8. Predatory ungulates
If modern ungulates are almost exclusively herbivorous animals, then the same cannot be said about their ancestors. The probable ancestors of ungulates and cetaceans were mesonychians (Fig. 35). Mesonychia is an extinct order of mammals; it included omnivorous, predatory and carrion-eating forms.
Rice. 35. Mesonychia
Mesonychia teeth were well adapted for cutting and chewing meat. The fangs were very large. The limbs of mesonychia did not have claws, like modern predators, but hooves.
Early mesonychians had a five-fingered limb and relied on the entire leg when walking. Later forms had a four-toed limb and, when walking, relied only on the front part of the hoof. Andrewsarchus, the largest known mammalian predator, also belonged to the order Mesonychia. He lived 36–45 million years ago.
9. Giants among ungulates
When it comes to giant land animals, dinosaurs are always the first to come to mind. However, among the fossil ungulates there were giants, in no way inferior in size even to large lizards.
Rice. 36. Indricotherium
Indricotherium (Fig. 36) is a fossil rhinoceros that lived 20–30 million years ago. Their remains have been found in many parts of Asia. These rhinoceroses differ from others in having a short body on long and straight three-toed legs and a small head on a very long neck. They had no horns, and the front part of the body was higher than the back.
What animals are calloused? How are these animals used and used by humans? What is their historical significance?
Discuss with friends and family the importance of wild and domestic ungulates in your region for humans and regional ecosystems.
Odd-toed ungulates are a group of terrestrial placental mammals belonging to the phylum chordates. Together with the order, artiodactyls are true ungulates. This order includes animals of large and very large sizes with an odd number of toes on the limbs (one or three) forming the hooves. The artiodactyl order unites three families: rhinoceroses, equines, and tapirs. Currently, 17 species of animals are known that belong according to the classification to this order.
The earliest finds of fossil remains of equids date back to the beginning of the Eocene period. Before the beginning of the Miocene period, there was a flourishing of equids. Scientists associate the decline and extinction of some species of artiodactyls with the wide distribution in the middle Miocene period of artiodactyls, which occupied the same ecological niches, but had the advantage of a more developed digestive system.
Wild equids are currently found in the steppes, deserts, forest-steppes of Central and South America, South and East Africa, Central, Southeast and South Asia. Reduced living space and hunting have led to a reduction in the number of wild species of equids. Many of these animals are domesticated. Thus, domestic horses and donkeys are widespread throughout the globe; they were also brought to Australia by humans.
Representatives various types lead different lifestyles, often determined by their habitat. The activity of these animals is crepuscular or nocturnal. Equines form herds and inhabit open spaces - steppes, savannas, and semi-deserts. Rhinoceroses lead a solitary lifestyle. They can be seen in African savannas and swampy, forested areas of Asia. Tapirs live alone and are found mainly in tropical forests. All animals from the order of equids are herbivores. They eat herbaceous plants, leaves and other parts of bushes and trees.
All equids have common features structures, mainly relating to the structure of the limbs and teeth. The sizes of these animals are medium or large. The body length can reach 5 m, and the height at the withers is 2 m. Rhinoceroses are the second largest after elephants among terrestrial small-feeders. The severity of hair varies from person to person different types. Thus, in rhinoceroses it is rare; the epidermis is thickened. Horses and tapirs have short and thick hair, its color is gray or brown. Zebras are characterized by vertical black and white stripes. Baby tapirs have horizontal stripes on the body.
Due to the fact that in equids the greatest load falls on the center of the limb, the third finger is better developed, the rest have atrophied to varying degrees. Only in tapirs because soft soils in their habitat, four fingers were preserved on the forelimbs, and three on the hind limbs. Horses have only one toe per limb, and the hoof covers it completely. Tapirs and rhinoceroses have only the front hoof.
In equids, the number and structure of teeth differs depending on the type of food. Fangs and incisors are small or absent altogether, like those of African rhinoceroses. The head of these animals is oblong in shape, the upper jaw is elongated. Therefore, between the front and lateral teeth of the upper jaw there is free space - diastema. The size and height of the molars are different and depend on whether the animal eats hard or soft plant food. In those species that eat mainly grass, the jaws are massive, the jaw joint is set deep, and the jaw is relatively large. Rhinoceroses have one or two horns made of keratin, and not of bone tissue, like artiodactyls.
The structure of the digestive tract of equids is very different from that of artiodactyls. They have a single-chamber simple stomach, and food is digested for a long time in the large intestine, like in rodents. The intestines of these animals are long, in horses - up to 26 m.
Females have a bicornuate uterus. The gestation period is long (from 330 to 500 days), the offspring are few. In most cases, the female gives birth to one baby. Newborns are able to move after their mother within a few hours. Only among tapirs do babies spend the first few days after birth in a secluded place. During the year, the female feeds the cubs with milk; sexual maturity occurs between the ages of two and eight years. The life expectancy of equids reaches 50 years.
In the history of mankind, the domesticated horse and donkey from the order of equids played an important role as vehicles, as well as in carrying out agricultural work. These species of equids were domesticated several thousand years ago BC. Currently, due to the development of science and technology, these animals are not used in developed countries. They are bred for sports and as a hobby. But in developing countries, equids are still common among domestic animals. Today, some species of the equid order are close to extinction. These are the Przewalski's horse, Sumatran rhinoceros, African donkey, black rhinoceros, Javan rhinoceros, mountain zebra, mountain tapir, Grévy's zebra, Indian rhinoceros.
Artiodactyls and odd-toed ungulates are two orders of the class Mammals. Due to the similar sound and relative similarity of both groups of animals, identifying the differences between them poses a certain difficulty for schoolchildren.
Who are artiodactyls and odd-toed ungulates?
Artiodactyls- This is one of the orders of Mammals.
Odd-toed ungulates- one of the orders of Mammals.
Comparison of artiodactyls and equids
What is the difference between artiodactyls and equids?
Artiodactyls are an order of Mammals. It includes 3 suborders:
- ruminants - deer, giraffes, bulls, pronghorns, sheep, bison and antelopes;
- calloused - camels;
- non-ruminants - hippopotamuses, pigs and peccaries.
Artiodactyls are animals whose developed ends of the third and fourth classes are covered with a special case - the hoof. At the same time, their first finger is reduced, and the second and fifth are underdeveloped.
Artiodactyls are large and medium-sized animals. They have a characteristic elongated muzzle, and ruminants also have the obligatory decoration in the form of horns.
Artiodactyls are common on all continents except Antarctica. Initially, they were not only in Australia, but man “corrected” this oversight of Nature. Most of them live in open spaces (savannas, deserts, tundra, steppes). A minority of the squad chose the forest to live.
Odd-toed ungulates are an order of Mammals. Today, only 3 families of the once numerous taxon remain on Earth:
- the Equine family - horses, zebras and donkeys;
- Tapirov family;
- Rhino family.
Odd-toed ungulates are animals whose hoof “covers” an odd number of toes.
Even-toed ungulates were once common on all continents except Antarctica and Australia. But in the wild, representatives of certain families can only be found in Africa, South and Central America, and Southeast Asia.
In addition to the number of phalanges forming the limbs, another characteristic difference between the two orders of these animals, which formed the basis of the taxonomy, is the structure of the digestive system. The fact is that in equids the main digestion of food occurs in the large intestine, and in artiodactyls - in the stomach. Therefore, in equids the stomach is single-chambered, while in artiodactyls it consists of four sections - the rumen, the mesh, the book, and the abomasum.
TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between artiodactyls and equids is as follows:
- In artiodactyls, a pair of toes form the hoof; in equids, the hoof “covers” an odd number of toes.
- Artiodactyls in the wild are more common than equids.
- Artiodactyls have a more complex structure digestive system and a multi-chambered stomach is present. More details:
12.07.2016
Even-toed and equid representatives of the fauna have a number of differences and dissimilar features not only in external data and structure, but also in behavior and life activity in nature. For most schoolchildren, distinguishing between these two classes of mammals is quite problematic.
Speaking of horses, this family has one hoof, so it cannot even be visually classified as artiodactyls. Therefore, in addition to the theory in textbooks and books on zoology, according to external features, both horses and various rhinoceroses and representatives of tapirs are classified as equids. In total there are about 17 species of such animals. Zoologist Richard Owen united all externally different animals into one class of odd-toed ungulates, after conducting a series of studies in the 19th century.
Signs of artiodactyls
In order to understand what are the distinctive features of the two classes of mammals, artiodactyls and equids, you should first determine which families are part of them. 
Artiodactyl animals include the following representatives of the fauna:
- ruminants - bulls, sheep, giraffes, deer, bison, pronghorns, and antelopes;
- non-ruminants - pigs, hippos, peccaries;
- calloused, namely camels.
As a rule, the limbs of such animals end in a special case in the form of hooves. A distinctive feature of artiodactyls is a reduced first digit on the limbs, as well as underdeveloped second and fifth digits. Typically, individuals of this type have large or medium body dimensions, as well as an elongated muzzle; if they are ruminants, additional horns.
All continents of the world are inhabited by artiodactyls, the only exception being Antarctica. Previously, these creatures were not located on the territory of the island of Australia, but thanks to human efforts, this “shortcoming” was corrected. Most often, animals of the artiodactyl class inhabit steppe and flat areas, tundra, deserts, and savannas. They can be found much less often in forests and thickets. 
The main differences between artiodactyls and equids are the following:
- Even-toed ungulates have a hoof with a pair of toes, while odd-toed ungulates have a limb with an odd number of toes covered by the hoof.
- In the wild, representatives of the artiodactyl class are more common around the world; for weeks they are “opponents”.
- In addition, artiodactyl animals have a complicated form of digestion, involving a multi-chambered stomach.
Why is a horse an odd-toed ungulate?
In addition to horses (donkeys and zebras), the order of odd-toed ungulates includes the following animals: the tapir and rhinoceros families. Initially, such representatives of the fauna were widely distributed everywhere except Australia and Antarctica. As has already become known, the horse belongs to the equid class, as it has a single solid hoof, which is marked and focused on the third toe of the limb. The remaining fingers, namely the second and fourth fingers, are so underdeveloped by nature that they do not reach the ground. 
The next sign by which a horse is classified into this class of animals is its digestive system. In such creatures, food digestion occurs not in the stomach, as many assumed, but in the large intestine. Due to this, there is no need for such creatures to have a multi-chamber stomach; in their structure, scientists have discovered a single-chamber organ. In general, both horses and other animals of the equid class belong to this category of animals due to the odd number of active “walking” fingers.
In addition, there are a number of typical distinctive features of equids:
- between the talus and navicular bones a special additional joint is supposed, due to which the mobility of the limbs is reduced;
- oblong head shape and long upper jaw;
- There is a wide contact between the lacrimal and nasal bones;
- horns are made of keratin;
- enlarged lower jaw and deepened jaw joint.
According to all the above signs and characteristics, a clear representative of the equid class is the equine family.
Characteristic features of a horse as an equid animal
In addition to the above obvious differences between equid horses and other species of animals of the artiodactyl class, there are a number of secondary characteristics of these noble animals. Such animals lead a more active lifestyle during twilight and night. They feed exclusively on vegetation, namely leaves and grasses, as well as other parts of plants.
In addition, equid animals, namely horses, produce small offspring and require a long gestation period. Usually, during birth, individuals give birth to one baby at a time. In captivity, animals can live up to 50 years.