Ungulates (pronounced ) are any members of a diverse
clade of primarily large
mammals that includes
odd-toed ungulates such as
horses and
rhinoceroses, and
even-toed ungulates such as
cattle,
pigs,
giraffes,
camels,
deer, and
hippopotamuses. Most terrestrial ungulates use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. The term means, roughly, "being
hoofed" or "hoofed animal". As a descriptive term, "ungulate" normally excludes
cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises), as they do not possess most of the typical
morphological characteristics of ungulates, but recent discoveries indicate that they are descended from early
artiodactyls. Ungulates are typically herbivorous (though some species are omnivorous, such as
pigs), and many employ specialized gut bacteria to allow them to digest cellulose, as in the case of
ruminants. They inhabit a wide range of habitats, from jungles to plains to rivers.