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Cetartiodactyla

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cetartiodactyls
Temporal range: late Palaeocene - Recent
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Infraclass:
Superorder:
(unranked):
Cetartiodactyla
Orders
Goat, an even-toed ungulate

Cetartiodactyla is the taxonomical superorder which includes whales (and dolphins) and even-toed ungulates. The name was created by merging the name for the two orders, Cetacea and Artiodactyla, into a single word.

Cetartiodactyla is used because it is thought that whales evolved from the artiodactyls. Because of this, their closest living land relative may be the hippopotamus.