Perissodactyls, otherwise known as
odd-toed ungulates, compose an order of mammals characterized by an odd number of toes and being hindgut fermenters with somewhat simple stomachs. As large
grazers they digest plant cellulose in their intestines rather than in one or more stomach chambers, unlike the
even-toed ungulates. The order includes three extant families:
Equidae, including
horses,
donkeys, and
zebras, Rhinocerotidae,
rhinos and Tapiridae,
tapirs, with a total of about 17 species. In spite of their very different appearance they were recognized by the zoologist
Richard Owen, who also coined the term, as related families, in the 19th century.