Artiodactyls, classified in the order Artiodactyla, are even-toed ungulate mammals characterized by bearing weight primarily on the third and fourth digits of each limb, which are usually of similar size and aligned symmetrically. This order includes diverse families such as Bovidae (cattle, antelopes, goats), Cervidae (deer), Suidae (pigs), and Hippopotamidae (hippopotamuses), and, in many modern treatments, is combined with Cetacea in the clade Cetartiodactyla based on molecular and morphological evidence. Artiodactyls exhibit a wide range of digestive specializations, notably ruminant foregut fermentation in many lineages, and occupy varied terrestrial and semi-aquatic ecological niches.
For decades, scientists have believed that a protein called interferon tau (IFNT) is indispensable for pregnancy in cattle. Produced by the early embryo, it was thought to signal its presence to the mother and prevent the ...
Biotechnology
Oct 8, 2026
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When wildfire smoke fills the air, most people can go inside to avoid it. Wildlife does not have that option, and little is known about how animals living in remote areas respond to wildfires and smoke exposure.
Plants & Animals
Oct 8, 2026
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Researchers at Colorado State University are leading an attempt to restore Yosemite National Park's iconic meadows before it's too late by reintroducing native plants that once covered the landscape. Results are published ...
Ecology
Oct 6, 2026
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DNA analyses of ancient remains have revealed a previously unknown extinct bovine species that inhabited southern Siberia during and even before the last ice age. The extinct species was related to modern yaks but followed ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 5, 2026
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Aurochs, the ancient ancestors of modern cattle, once roamed large parts of Europe, Asia and northern Africa. New research by an international team led by Lund University indicates that multiple factors contributed to their ...
Ecology
Oct 2, 2026
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In the largest study of its kind, researchers at Nottingham Trent University analyzed more than 7,200 species across 613 zoos in 72 countries over a 30-year period. The team compared changes in zoo animal holdings with changes ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 30, 2026
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You might be among the 46 million people who've seen a video showing how wolves changed Yellowstone, or you may have heard another version of the story. Yellowstone, which covers nearly 3,500 square miles (9,100 square kilometers) ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 29, 2026
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New analyses of ancient cattle, sheep and goat bones on Madagascar suggest the rapid spread of introduced livestock on the island 1,200 years ago coincided with forest loss and population declines of large native herbivores.
Ecology
Sep 24, 2026
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86
Sheep grazing, rather than honey bees, could be the bigger threat to wild pollinators on Scotland's moorlands, according to a new University of Bristol-led study. The research, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, ...
Ecology
Sep 22, 2026
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A drone lifts off over a paddock at Boorowa Agricultural Research Station, the breeze from its rotors setting the tall, uncut grass below rippling. At the controls, Stuart Brown, a senior research technician at CSIRO, keeps ...
Biotechnology
Sep 22, 2026
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