Suckling Pigs courtesy of wikipedia.orgDomesticated Pig courtesy of wikiipedia.org Pig behind fence courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

 Taxonomy/Phylogeny:

Class Mammalia courtesy of ultimateungulate.com
Domain: Eukarya

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Cetartiodactyla (Even-toed animals ;   includes Swine, Peccaries, Hippopotamuses, Camels, Deer, Giraffes, Cattle, Goats, and Sheep)

Family: Suidae

Genus: Sus

Cetartiodactyla courtesy ultimateungulate.com

What does it all mean?

Eukarya:  Includes all of the organisms with eukaryotic cells--that is, those with membranous organelles (including mitochondria and chloroplasts).

Animalia: All members of the Animalia are multicellular, and all are heterotrophs (that is, they rely directly or indirectly on other organisms for their nourishment). Most ingest food and digest it in an internal cavity.  

Chordata:  Chordates are defined as organisms that possess a structure called a notochord, at least during some part of their development.

Mammalia: All mammals share at least three characteristics not found in other animals: 3 middle ear bones, hair, and the production of milk by modified sweat glands called mammary glands.

Some relatives in the class Mammalia include:

Western Low Land Gorilla courtesy of Wikimedia Commons     Kangaroo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons     Deer Mouse courtesy of Wikimedia Commons        West Indian Manatee courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

              Primates                                 Marsupials                                 Rodents                       Serenia

 

Cetartiodacyla: Cetartiodacyla are paraxonic, that is, the plane of symmetry of each foot passes between the third and fourth digits. In all species the number of digits is reduced at least by the loss of the first digit, and the second and fifth digits are small in many. The third and fourth digits, however, remain large and bear weight in all Cetartiodactyls.

Some relatives in the order Cetartiodacyla include:

Giraffe courtesy of Wikimedia CommonsHippo courtesy of Wikimedia CommonsDolphin courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

       Giraffidae                               Hippopotamidae                              Cetacea

Suidae: Sixteen species of pigs and hogs in eight genera make up the modern family Suidae

Some relatives in the family Suidae include:

Sus barbatus courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Sus cebifrons Babyrousa babyroussa courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

                    Sus barbatus                            Sus cebifrons                    Babyrousa babyroussa

Suindae courtesy of ultimateungulate.com

      Sus: Wild boars

    Sus scrofa courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

 

 

 

 

***Note all Phylogenetic Trees featured are based from molecular data***

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