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When did artiodactyls become distinct from their early mammal ancestors?
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artiodactyl
Reticulated giraffe (Giraffa reticulata), Kenya.
Artiodactyls are believed to have descended from a group of early, generalized mammals known as condylarths. While their exact point of divergence is a subject of ongoing study, they were certainly distinct by the Eocene Epoch, which concluded approximately 33.9 million years ago.1