What structural characteristic do zebras, rhinos, and tapirs share from their common ancestor?
Answer
Being odd-toed ungulates characterized by a single functional toe
Zebras, rhinos, and tapirs share the defining characteristic of being odd-toed ungulates, placed together in the order Perissodactyla. While the zebra genus *Equus* is the only surviving lineage in the family Equidae, the broader structural link to rhinos and tapirs is their foot anatomy. Specifically, they are characterized by having an odd number of functional toes supporting their weight, which, in modern zebras, has reduced to a single functional toe. This shared trait confirms their ancient evolutionary kinship predating the diversification within the Equidae family.
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