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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
Sus celebensis

Sus celebensis

Sus celebensis,Sulawesi Warty Pig,Celebes wild boar

Features:Piglets are born with five dark brown and six lighter parallel stripes along the length of their bodies.

Sulawesi Warty Pig (scientific name: Sus celebensis) has three subspecies.The Sulawesi wild boar has a home range of 500-1000 hectares for females and 1000-2000 hectares for males. As mammals, they communicate using some combination of vision, hearing, touch, and emitted chemical scents. They are so...

Sus cebifrons

Sus cebifrons

Sus cebifrons,Visayan warty pig,Visayan warty pig, curly-haired wild boar

Features:There are obvious white stripes on the face

Visayan warty pig (scientific name: Sus cebifrons) is a species endemic to the Visayas Islands in the Philippines.Reports on the activity patterns of Visayan wild pigs in undisturbed areas are rare, as any such activity is deep in remote forest areas with rugged terrain, making even casual observati...

Sus bucculentus

Sus bucculentus

Sus bucculentus,ndo-chinese Warty Pig、Heude's Pig、 Vietnam Warty Pig,Vietnamese wild boar, big-mouthed wild boar

Features:A mysterious species

Indochinese wild boar (scientific name: Sus bucculentus) is also known as Indo-chinese Warty Pig, Heude's Pig, Vietnam Warty Pig, and has no subspecies.The Indochinese wild boar was described in two skulls collected in southern Vietnam in 1892, allegedly from near Ho Chi Minh City in the Dong Na...

Porcula salvania

Porcula salvania

Porcula salvania,Pygmy Hog, Sanglier nain、Sanglier pygmée, Jabalí Enano、Jabalí Pigmeo, Nal Gahori、Takuri Borah, Sano Banel,Pygmy pig, pygmy boar

Features:It is the smallest wild boar known in the world.

Porcula salvania (Pygmy Hog in English, Sanglier nain, Sanglier pygmée in French, Jabalí Enano, Jabalí Pigmeo in Spanish, Nal Gahori, Takuri Borah in Assamese, Sano Banel in Nepali) is the only animal in the Suidae family and the Porcula genus. It is the smallest wild boar.Jizhu is a non-territor...

Sus barbatus

Sus barbatus

Sus barbatus,Bearded Pig,Western Bearded Pig

Features:The head is large and the body is small, with a coarse, thick "beard" of hair on the bridge of the nose and cheeks.

Borneo Bearded Pig (scientific name: Sus barbatus) is also known as Bearded Pig and Western Bearded Pig in foreign languages. It has two subspecies.The Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) shares the Bornean bearded pig's range in Malaya and Sumatra, but the Eurasian wild boar is smaller and lacks th...

Sus ahoenobarbus

Sus ahoenobarbus

Sus ahoenobarbus,Palawan Bearded Pig

Features:It is the largest wild boar in the Philippines and has the longest "beard" on its lower jaw among its species.

Palawan Bearded Pig (Sus ahoenobarbus) has no subspecies. The Palawan Bearded Pig is similar to the Borneo Bearded Pig and was once a subspecies of the Borneo Bearded Pig, but its size is significantly smaller than the Borneo Bearded Pig distributed in Indonesia. The Palawan Bearded Pig is different...

Potamochoerus larvatus

Potamochoerus larvatus

Potamochoerus larvatus,Bushpig,Jungle Pig

Features:The male has warts on his nose and a long tail with a tuft of coarse hair at the tip.

Masked wild boar (scientific name: Potamochoerus larvatus) is also known as Bushpig in English. There are 6 subspecies.Masked wild boar is a resident animal and vigorously protects its territory. It is mainly active at night. This behavior is related to the ambient temperature, with more diurnal act...

Potamochoerus porcus

Potamochoerus porcus

Potamochoerus porcus,Red River Hog,West African bush pig, tufted pig, red river hog

Features:The smallest and most colorful of all African pigs

Red River Hog (scientific name: Potamochoerus porcus) is also known as Red River Hog, and has no subspecies.Red River Hog is a social animal. Most live in groups of 3-6, and there are groups of up to 11. Large groups of more than 100 animals have been recorded. In most cases, there is a dominant adu...

Hylochoerus meinertzhageni

Hylochoerus meinertzhageni

Hylochoerus meinertzhageni,Forest Hog

Features:Males have bare, swollen pads of skin called calluses near the eyes and scent glands on the cheek pads.

The Forest Hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni), also known as the Forest Hog in English, has three subspecies and is the largest pig. The species name "meinertzhageni" of the Forest Hog is derived from the surname of Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen, a British officer and zoologist. He was the f...

Phacochoerus africanus

Phacochoerus africanus

Phacochoerus africanus,Common Warthog,Common warthog, Eritrean warthog

Features:Named after the warts under the eyes

African warthog (scientific name: Phacochoerus africanus) is called Common Warthog in foreign language, and there are 4 subspecies.African warthog is a highly social animal. They often form small family groups, usually consisting of one or more female warthogs and their young. Single adult male wart...

Phacochoerus aethiopicus

Phacochoerus aethiopicus

Phacochoerus aethiopicus,Desert Warthog,Desert warthog, Cape warthog, Somali warthog

Features:High reproductive capacity, but high mortality rate of young

Desert Warthog (scientific name: Phacochoerus aethiopicus) has two subspecies.Desert Warthogs seem to be most active during the day, even in the hottest weather. They spend the night in caves as a family unit. They raid crops seasonally in the valleys of southern Somalia. Warthogs are diurnal animal...

Babyrousa togeanensis

Babyrousa togeanensis

Babyrousa togeanensis,Togian Islands Babirusa,Malengewi babirusa, Celebes babirusa, Celebes wild boar

Features:Very sparse hair, white on the belly and inside of the legs

Togian Babirusa (scientific name: Babyrousa togeanensis) is called Togian Islands Babirusa in foreign language, and has no subspecies.Male Togian Babirusa usually live alone, while females and young Babirusa form family groups, sometimes up to 11 of them take mud baths together in the mud. The speci...

Babyrousa celebensis

Babyrousa celebensis

Babyrousa celebensis,Kalowatan,Celebes Babirusa, Togian Babirusa

Features:Almost no hair on the body

Sulawesi Babirusa (scientific name: Babyrousa celebensis) is called Kalowatan in foreign language, and has no subspecies.Sulawesi Babirusa consists of small groups of one or two adult females and their offspring, most of which are females with young animals. Groups rarely exceed 5, but groups of up...

Babyrousa babyrussa

Babyrousa babyrussa

Babyrousa babyrussa,Hairy Babirusa、Babiroussa,Moluccan wild boar, Babirusa pig deer, Maluku babirusa

Features:It is the wild boar with the smallest skull shape.

Hairy Babirusa (scientific name: Babyrousa babyrussa) is also known as Hairy Babirusa and Babiroussa in foreign languages. There is no subspecies.Hairy Babirusa is a diurnal animal that is active mainly in the morning. It spends about half of its time lying down, usually sleeping. They run fast and...

Lama glama

Lama glama

Lama glama,llama,Domestic Alpaca

Features:Long limbs, protruding and curved ears

The llama (Latin scientific name: Lama glama, English name: llama) is the heaviest and largest South American alpaca in South America.Llamas are social animals and are trained to use nooses and lead the way after weaning. They are very friendly. They are extremely curious and happy to interact with...

Vicugna pacos

Vicugna pacos

Vicugna pacos, Alpaca,Grass Mud Horse,Alpaca

Features:One of the top ten mythical beasts made fun of by Chinese netizens

The alpaca (scientific name Vicugna pacos, English name Alpaca) native to South America is also known as the Grass Mud Horse in my country. It is one of the top ten mythical beasts spoofed by Chinese netizens, and originated from Baidu World of Warcraft. The top ten mythical beasts, including the Gr...

Lama guanicoe

Lama guanicoe

Lama guanicoe,Guanaco

Features:The wild ancestor of domestic camels and alpacas

Guanaco (scientific name: Lama guanicoe) is a docile herbivore with four subspecies.Guanacos like to form small groups, with 4-10 females led by a male. The territory is marked by the accumulation of feces in the group. Male guanacos fight for territory by colliding with each other and spitting. You...

Vicugna vicugna

Vicugna vicugna

Vicugna vicugna,Vicuna

Features:Among alpaca wool, vicuña wool is the thickest and longest, but has poor elasticity.

Llama (scientific name: Vicugna vicugna) is also known as Vicuna in English. It has three subspecies and is a large mammal.The llama is a unique animal on the semi-arid grasslands at an altitude of 3,500 to 5,750 meters in the Andes Mountains of Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. It can carry goods...

Camelus dromedarius

Camelus dromedarius

Camelus dromedarius,dromedary

Features:It is named after its hump and is the national animal of Egypt.

The dromedary camel (scientific name: Camelus dromedarius) is also known as dromedary in English. It has no subspecies and is slightly taller than the Bactrian camel. It has a thinner body and longer legs than the Bactrian camel.Camels are quite able to endure hunger and thirst. After drinking enoug...

King Kong

King Kong

King Kong,gorilla, silverback gorilla

Features:Silverback gorillas are older male gorillas whose back fur has turned silver-gray.

The common name of the gorilla is the gorilla, the silverback gorilla, which is the largest primate in existence and the animal closest to humans except for the two chimpanzees. The silverback gorilla is not a new species of gorilla, but the hair color on the back of the older (about 12 years old) m...

Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens,Human

Features:A general term for modern humans and their direct ancestors

Homo sapiens (scientific name: Homo sapiens) is the only existing species under the genus Homo. Its morphological characteristics are more advanced than those of Homo erectus. It is divided into early Homo sapiens and late Homo sapiens.Homo sapiens evolved from Homo erectus and has a larger brain ca...