Ungulates (pronounced
/'??gj?le?ts/) are a diverse group of large
mammals, most of which 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, as they do not possess most of the typical morphological characteristics of ungulates; recent discoveries indicate that they are descended from early
artiodactyls, and thus are directly related to other
even-toed ungulates such as cattle, with
hippopotamuses being their closest living relatives.
[1] As a result of these discoveries, the new order
Cetartiodactyla has been proposed to include the members of
Artiodactyla and
Cetacea, to reflect their common ancestry; however, strictly speaking, this is merely a matter of nomenclature, since it is possible simply to recognize Cetacea as a subgroup of Artiodactyla.