Dan Seubert, age 12, of Eugene, Oregon, for his question:

Which is the smallest hoofed animal?

The term "ungulate" is coined from an older word for "hoof," which explains why the wondrous group of hooved animals are called the ungulates. They range in size from the largest of all land animals to an assortment of bouncy little fellows about as big as rabbits. As a general rule, the ungulates are strict vegetarians, though some of the midgets of the group sometimes help themselves to a grasshopper.

A search for the smallest hooved animal might keep us busy for years. Most of the time would be spent in the tropics, where many of the deer sized ungulates browse among the trees. The pigmy ungulates live deep in the jungles and though there are many of them, they are rarely seen. Several species are rabbit sized and selecting the smallest could be an exasperating task. The frisky midgets use remarkable skill and determination to stay out of sight and avoid capture.

Several pigmy antelopes live cunningly concealed in the jungles of Africa  ¬and one of these is said to be the smallest of all ungulates. He is the royal antelope, standing all of eight inches tall at shoulder level. He has a mousy type face and ears. His body looks somewhat like a mini chihuahua dog, except that his feet have hooves instead of claws. The little king is crowned with a tuft of stiff hair, standing up between two small spikey horns.

Also in Africa live the steinboks and the grysboks,the sunis and the dik diks. They are shy, frisky little pigmy antelopes that average about 12 inches at shoulder level. The klipspringer is an inch or so taller but he rates as the bounciest and the most irresistible charmer of this group.

The duikers belong to another group of small African ungulates. The name "duiker" means "diver." When an observer approaches, they dive into the jungle shrubbery and disappear before you can blink. They are classed with the hooved cattle and the smallest duikers are the smallest of the bovines.

So far our search has kept us within the bounds of Africa, the home of almost all the world's antelopes and the majority of other wild ungulates. However, there is a very small hooved animal in the New World. He is the pudu, also known locally as the pudu pudu. He is at home on the forest slopes of the western Andes    all the way from Colombia to the south of Chile. Some of his kinfolk live on the offshore islands.

The pudu is the smallest of the deer type ungulates. The proud little stag is about as big as a small terrier. The smaller female is 12 inches tall. She is about the same size as most of the pigmy antelopes.

At the other end of the deer scale stand the mighty moose, standing seven feet nine inches at shoulder level and weighing up to 1,800 pounds. No, he is not the largest ungulate. Strange to say, the elephant may be rated among the hooved animals. The giant is the African bush elephant, ten feet tall and six tons heavy.