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mammals

Mammals are an important group of vertebrates characterized by the presence of mothers feeding their offspring. Notable characteristics of mammals include lactation, body hair, endothermy (warm-blooded animals), and a four-chambered heart. There are many species of mammals, living in almost all ecosystems on Earth, from the deep sea to the mountains, from tropical rainforests to the cold polar regions.

  • scientific name:Mammalia

  • Features

    • suckle:Females have mammary glands that secrete milk to feed their young.

    • Body hair:Most mammals are covered with hair.

    • Endothermic:Maintaining a constant body temperature through metabolism.

    • Four-chambered heart:Mammals have four-chambered hearts to ensure efficient oxygen delivery.

    • viviparous:Most mammals reproduce by giving birth to live young, but some species, such as monotremes (e.g. the platypus), lay eggs.

  • Habitat:Almost all habitats on Earth, including land, ocean, fresh water, polar regions, etc.

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Mammal classification table

Mammals are numerous and can be subdivided based on different biological characteristics. Mammals are roughly divided into three subclasses:

  1. Monotremata: Oviparous mammals.

  2. Marsupialia: Kangaroos, koalas, etc., whose young continue to develop in a pouch outside the mother's body.

  3. Eutheria: Viviparous mammals, the most abundant species, including humans, lions, whales, etc.

The following is a detailed classification table of mammals, including all orders, families, genera and typical animals:

sortOrderFamilyGenusExamples
MonotremataMonotremataOrnithorhynchidaeOrnithorhynchusPlatypus, Echidna


TachyglossidaeEchidnaEchidna
MarsupialiaMarsupialiaMacropodidaeMacropusKangaroos, wombats, possums


PhascolarctidaePhascolarctoskoala


DasyuridaeDasyurusBandicoot, Tasmanian devil
EutheriaCarnivoraCanidaeCanisWolf, dog, fox


FelidaeFelisHouse cat, lion, tiger


UrsidaeUrsusBlack bear, brown bear, polar bear

PerissodactylaEquidaeEquusHorse, donkey, zebra


RhinocerotidaeRhinocerosWhite rhino, black rhino


TapiridaeTapirusTapirus

ArtiodactylaBovidaeBosCattle, antelopes, sheep


CervidaeCervusDeer, reindeer, sika deer


SuidaeSusWild boar, domestic pig

CetaceaBalaenidaeMegapteraHumpback whale, blue whale


DelphinidaeDelphinusDolphins, killer whales

PrimatesCercopithecidaePongoOrangutans, gibbons, monkeys


HominidaeHomoHumans, chimpanzees, orangutans

RodentiaSciuridaeSciurusSquirrels, Ground Squirrels


CastoridaeCastorbeaver


MuridaeMusHouse mouse, vole

ChiropteraVespertilionidaeMyotisSmall bat, big bat

LagomorphaLeporidaeOryctolagusRabbit, hare

Characteristics and Adaptations of Mammals

Mammals are one of the most diverse groups in the biological world. Here are the main characteristics of mammals and how they adapt:


1. Breastfeeding

A notable feature of mammals is that mothers secrete milk through their mammary glands to feed their offspring. This allows mammal cubs to receive adequate nutritional support after birth, increasing their survival rate.


2. Body hair

Almost all mammals have body hair, which not only helps to keep warm, but also plays a camouflage or display function in some species. For example, the white hair of polar bears helps them camouflage in the snow and reduce the risk of being discovered by prey.


3. Homeothermy

Mammals maintain a stable body temperature through metabolism, which allows mammals to maintain a suitable temperature regardless of changes in the outside temperature. This feature allows mammals to survive in a variety of environments, including extreme environments such as polar regions and deserts.


4. Viviparity

Most mammals reproduce by giving birth to live young, which allows the embryo to receive more stable nutritional support in the mother's body and be more viable after birth. Some species, such as kangaroos and koalas, adopt marsupial parenting.


5. Diet

Mammals have a variety of diets, from herbivorous to carnivorous and omnivorous. Some species (such as bats) have even evolved to suck blood. Different diets allow mammals to find living space in a variety of ecological environments.


Summary: Mammals are the most advanced animals with the most perfect physiological functions. There are more than 4,000 existing mammals. Almost all mammals are warm-blooded. Feeding their offspring with breast milk is one of their most notable characteristics. Mammals include nearly 30 orders, including Monotremes, Carnivores, Primates, Perissodactyla, and Artiodactyla.

Carnivora Primates Rodents Chiroptera Shrews Ungulata Cetacea Lagomorpha Pholidota Proboscidea Monotremata
Axis calamianensis

Axis calamianensis

Axis calamianensis,Kashima spotted deer, Kashima hog deer

Features:The lips are white with dark stripes on the sides

The Calamian Hog Deer (Axis calamianensis) is one of three species of deer native to the Philippines, the other two being the Philippine Brown Deer (Cervus mariannus, Rusa marianna) and the Philippine Water Deer (Cervus alfredi, Rusa alfredi). The word "豚" means piglet, and also refers to...

Axis kuhlii

Axis kuhlii

Axis kuhlii

Features:Brown hair, no white spots

The Ba Island spotted deer (Axis kuhlii) is a deer endemic to the Indonesian island of Bawean. Its scientific name is in honor of the German zoologist Heinrich Kuhl.Until the 19th century, the number of Ba Island spotted deer was still relatively large. In the second half of the 20th century, as the...

Cervus axis

Cervus axis

Cervus axis,Uŋpȟáŋ Glešká,Hupah Glešká,Spotted deer, white deer

Features:It looks similar to a sika deer, but also has some white spots.

The scientific name of the spotted deer, Cervus axis or Axis axis, is active all day long and feeds on tender shoots. Its natural enemies include wolves, Bengal tigers, and Asiatic lions. It will sound alarm calls when frightened. The spotted deer like to live in groups, usually consisting of adult...

Okapia johnstoni

Okapia johnstoni

Okapia johnstoni,Okapi

Features:The hips and upper legs have horizontal black and white stripes

Okapi (scientific name: Okapia johnstoni) is called Okapi in English. At first glance, it looks more like a horse. Because of the alternating black and white stripes on its back, it looks very much like a zebra. In the past, some people thought that the okapi was the result of the mating of a giraff...

Tragulus versicolor

Tragulus versicolor

Tragulus versicolor,Silver-backed Chevrotain,Vietnamese Mousedeer, Chevrotain du Vietnam,Silver-backed chevrotain, Vietnamese mouse deer

Features:Has a coarse coat with a magical two-tone color

Vietnamese Mousedeer (scientific name: Tragulus versicolor) English Silver-backed Chevrotain, Vietnamese Mousedeer, French Chevrotain du Vietnam, no subspecies.Both male and female Vietnamese mouse deer are territorial, marking their territory with feces, urine, and submandibular gland secretions. T...

Tragulus nigricans

Tragulus nigricans

Tragulus nigricans, Balabac Mouse Deer,Balabac Chevrotain,Philippine Mouse-deer, Chevrotain de Balbac

Features:Black throat with three narrow white stripes extending from white chin down

Philippine Mouse Deer (scientific name: Tragulus nigricans) English Balabac Mouse Deer, Balabac Chevrotain, Philippine Mouse-deer, French Chevrotain de Balbac, no subspecies.Philippine mouse deer are territorial in both sexes, with males marking their small, permanent territories with feces, urine,...

Tragulus napu

Tragulus napu

Tragulus napu,Greater Oriental Chevrotain、Balabac Chevrotain、Greater Indo-Malayan Chevrotain、Greater Mousedeer,Larger Malay Chevrotain,Larger Mousedeer,Napu,Chevrotain napu, Grand tragul malais, Napoh

Features:The fur is orange-brown, with a grayish-white appearance due to a black stripe running down each hair.

The Greater Mousedeer (scientific name: Tragulus napu) is called Greater Oriental Chevrotain, Balabac Chevrotain, Greater Indo-Malayan Chevrotain, Greater Mousedeer, Larger Malay Chevrotain, Larger Mousedeer, Napu in English, Chevrotain napu, Grand tragul malais in French, and Napoh in Malay. There...

Tragulus kanchil

Tragulus kanchil

Tragulus kanchil,Lesser Oriental Chevrotain、Lesser Indo-Malayan Chevrotain、Lesser Malay Chevrotain、Lesser Mousedeer、Mouse Deer, Chevrotain kanchil, Petit tragul malais, Kanchil

Features:The smallest ungulate

Lesser Mousedeer (scientific name: Tragulus kanchil) English Lesser Oriental Chevrotain, Lesser Indo-Malayan Chevrotain, Lesser Malay Chevrotain, Lesser Mousedeer, Mouse Deer, French Chevrotain kanchil, Petit tragul malais, Indonesian Kanchil, has 30 subspecies, slightly larger than a hare. The mous...

Tragulus javanicus

Tragulus javanicus

Tragulus javanicus,Javan Chevrotain、Java Mousedeer、Javan Mousedeer、Kanchil、Lesser Mouse Deer, Chevrotain de Java、Petit tragul malais

Features:One of the smallest ungulates

Javan Mousedeer (scientific name: Tragulus javanicus) English Javan Chevrotain, Java Mousedeer, Javan Mousedeer, Kanchil, Lesser Mouse Deer, French Chevrotain de Java, Petit tragul malais, no subspecies.In the early classification, the Javan mouse deer was classified as a large mouse deer (now calle...

Moschiola meminna

Moschiola meminna

Moschiola meminna, White-spotted Chevrotain,Chevrotain,Indian Mouse Deer,Indian Spotted Chevrotain,White-spotted Mousedeer,Tragule d'Inde, Meminna

Features:It is the "treasure of the town" of Singapore Zoo.

Spotted Mouse Deer (scientific name: Moschiola meminna) English White-spotted Chevrotain, Chevrotain, Indian Mouse Deer, Indian Spotted Chevrotain, White-spotted Mousedeer, French Tragule d'Inde, Spanish Meminna, no subspecies.In 2005, Groves and Meijaard revised the name "Moschiola meminna...

Moschiola kathygre

Moschiola kathygre

Moschiola kathygre

Features:It is the smallest of the three species in the same genus.

The yellow-striped mouse deer (scientific name: Moschiola kathygre) has no subspecies. It mainly eats fruits that fall from trees, and other foods include young leaves, shrubs, and young branches.The golden brown body and yellow stripes and markings of the yellow-striped chevrotain visually distingu...

Moschiola indica

Moschiola indica

Moschiola indica,Indian Chevrotain、Indian Mouse Deer、Indian Mousedeer、Indian Spotted Chevrotain

Features:The back is medium to dark brown, the belly is white, and there are four or five light vertical stripes or spots on the back.

Indian Chevrotain (scientific name: Moschiola indica) is also known as Indian Chevrotain, Indian Mouse Deer, Indian Mousedeer, Indian Spotted Chevrotain. It has no subspecies and is the largest member of the genus Moschiola.The Indian spotted chevrotain is a shy and secretive species. Like other for...

Hyemoschus aquaticus

Hyemoschus aquaticus

Hyemoschus aquaticus, Water Chevrotain,Chevrotain Aquatique, Antilope Amizclero Enano de Agua, Hirschferkel

Features:The coat has horizontal white stripes and rows of white spots, and a series of inverted white "V" shapes on the throat.

Water Chevrotain [shuǐ xī lù] (scientific name: Hyemoschus aquaticus) English: Water Chevrotain, French: Chevrotain Aquatique, Spanish: Antilope Amizclero Enano de Agua, German: Hirschferkel, no subspecies, is the largest member of the family Hyemoschus.Water deer females are sedentary, occupying...

Tayassu pecari

Tayassu pecari

Tayassu pecari

Features:White markings around the mouth and jaw

White-lipped Peccary (scientific name: Tayassu pecari) has 5 subspecies.White-lipped Peccary is active both during the day and at night, but is mainly nocturnal. They are a nomadic species, always looking for food and water. Living in groups, their estimated home range is between 60-200 square kilom...

Catagonus wagneri

Catagonus wagneri

Catagonus wagneri,Chacoan Peccary,Tagua

Features:Has many characteristics of a pig

The Chacoan Peccary (Catagonus wagneri) has no subspecies. When it was first discovered, there were only some fossils of the Chacoan Peccary and it was thought to be extinct. It was not until 1975 that they were found alive in the Grand Chaco Plain. The indigenous people are very familiar with them....

Pecari tajacu

Pecari tajacu

Pecari tajacu,Collared Peccary,Collared peccary, collared pig, collared peccary

Features:Poor eyesight, but good hearing, and scent glands to repel enemies

Collared Peccary (scientific name: Pecari tajacu) has 14 subspecies. Peccary, pronounced tuān, means wild boar. Peccary, as the name suggests, is a wild boar in the West. In biological taxonomy, both peccaries and pigs belong to the order Artiodactyla, but they belong to different families.The coll...

Pecari maximus

Pecari maximus

Pecari maximus,Pecari Gigante,Giant wild boar

Features:The peccary is larger, has longer legs, and is smaller in proportion than other members of the genus.

Pecari maximus (scientific name: Pecari maximus) is also known as Pecari Gigante in English. It has no subspecies.The giant peccary is a large forest-dwelling wild boar first discovered in 2000 by Dutch naturalist Marc van Roosmalen in the Rio Aripuan Basin in Brazil. In 2003, he and Lothar Frenz, a...

Sus verrucosus

Sus verrucosus

Sus verrucosus,Javan pig、Sanglier pustule,Javan warty pig, warty wild pig

Features:There are three pairs of warts on the face, one pair in front of the eye sockets, two pairs infraorbital and a larger pair on the jaw.

Javan wild boar (scientific name: Sus verrucosus) foreign name Javan pig, Sanglier pustule, there are 2 subspecies.Javan wild boars are mostly nocturnal, and damage to rice fields and crops occurs almost exclusively at night. These animals are not very social. Females and their young may be found to...

Sus scrofa

Sus scrofa

Sus scrofa, Wild Boar、Eurasian Wild Pig、Ryukyu Islands Wild Pig, Sanglier、Sanglier d'Eurasie,Jabalí, Schwarzwild、Wildschwein, Zerleg Gakhai

Features:The Eurasian wild boar is the most widespread land mammal on Earth.

Eurasian wild boar (scientific name: Sus scrofa) English Wild Boar, Eurasian Wild Pig, Ryukyu Islands Wild Pig, French Sanglier, Sanglier d'Eurasie, Spanish Jabalí, German Schwarzwild, Wildschwein, Mongolian Zerleg Gakhai, is a medium-sized mammal with 20 subspecies.Eurasian wild boar females a...

Sus philippensis

Sus philippensis

Sus philippensis,Philippine Warty Pig,Philippine warthog

Features:

Philippine Warty Pig (scientific name: Sus philippensis) has two subspecies.Philippine Warty Pig is more active at night, but is also active during the day. It appears in pairs during the breeding season, usually forming small groups of 7-12. It is a generally timid and cautious animal that can defe...

Sus oliveri

Sus oliveri

Sus oliveri,Oliver's Warty Pig,Mindoro Warty Pig, Oliver's Warty Pig

Features:Males have a crown of black and straw-colored hair and well-developed warts in front of the eyes.

Mindoro wild boar (scientific name: Sus oliveri) is also known as Oliver's Warty Pig. There is no subspecies.There are few direct records of observations of Mindoro wild boars in the wild, and the habitat preferences of the species remain mostly unclear. There are probably remnant forests and sc...