Which taxonomic Order firmly places Sus scrofa alongside deer, cattle, and hippos?
Answer
Artiodactyla
The Order Artiodactyla is the formal classification level that groups *Sus scrofa* with specific large mammals such as deer, cattle, and hippopotamuses. This order is specifically defined by the characteristic these animals share: they are ungulates, meaning hoofed mammals, that bear their weight equally on two toes, hence the designation 'even-toed ungulates.' This placement in the hierarchy, below the Class Mammalia and above the Family Suidae (which contains all pigs and hogs), emphasizes a deep evolutionary relationship based on shared skeletal and locomotive structures stemming from their shared lineage as even-toed ungulates.
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