Ruminants belong to order

Options

A. Artiodactyla
B. Perissodactyla
C. Proboscidea
D. All the above .

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding Ruminants**: Ruminants are animals that have a specialized stomach structure allowing them to digest food in two stages. They initially consume food, which is partially digested in the stomach and then brought back to the mouth for further chewing before being digested completely.

2. **Identifying the Orders**: The question provides four options regarding the order to which ruminants belong:
- A) Artiodactyla
- B) Perissodactyla
- C) Proboscidea
- D) All of the above

3. **Analyzing Each Option**:
- **Artiodactyla**: This order includes even-toed ungulates, which are known to include many ruminants such as cattle, sheep, and goats.
- **Perissodactyla**: This order consists of odd-toed ungulates like horses and donkeys, which are not ruminants.
- **Proboscidea**: This order includes elephants, which are also not ruminants.
- **All of the Above**: Since only Artiodactyla includes ruminants, this option can be ruled out.

4. **Conclusion**: Based on the analysis, ruminants belong to the order **Artiodactyla**. This order is characterized by even-toed ungulates, which includes many species that exhibit ruminating behavior.

**Final Answer**: Ruminants belong to the order **Artiodactyla**.

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