Artiodactyl, any member of the mammalian order Artiodactyla, or even-toed ungulates, which includes the pigs, peccaries, hippopotamuses, camels, chevrotains, deer, giraffes, pronghorn, antelopes, sheep, goats, and cattle. It is one of the larger mammal orders, containing about 200 species, a total that may be somewhat reduced with continuing revision of their classification. Many artiodactyls are well known to humans, and the order as a whole is of more economic and cultural benefit than any other group of mammals. The much larger order of rodents (Rodentia) affects humans primarily in a negative way, by competing with them or impeding their economic and cultural progress.