They inhabit tropical forests and grasslands and deserts. Few land mammals range farther north than the muskox or higher than the yak. The smallest artiodactys, certain species of mouse deer or chevrotains, may weigh less than two pounds. Next to the cheetah, the fastest mammals are the pronghorn and certain Old World antelopes. And they can run much longer than any cheetah.
Artiodactyls also rank with horses and dogs as the animals most useful to people.
The University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web includes a fairly technical article about the order Artiodactyla .