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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 Eulipotyphla Ungulata Cetacea Lagoiformes Pholidota Proboscidea Monotremata
Caracal aurata

Caracal aurata

Caracal aurata,Profelis aurata,African Golden Cat,

Features:The fur color varies, and the limbs and the inside of the abdomen are often dotted with spots, and some even have spots all over the body.

African Caracal (scientific name: Caracal aurata, synonymous scientific name Profelis aurata) is called African Golden Cat in foreign language. It is a medium-sized wild cat with 2 subspecies.In Africa, African Caracal was once named African Golden Cat. They are considered "sons of leopards&quo...

Catopuma badia

Catopuma badia

Catopuma badia,Borneo Bay Cat,Chestnut cat

Features:Smaller than the Asian golden cat, its fur is usually reddish brown, but there are also a few gray variants.

Borneo Golden Cat (scientific name: Catopuma badia) is also known as Borneo Bay Cat in foreign languages. It has no subspecies.In 2006, Johnson and Eizirik et al. studied the Bornean golden cat together with the Asian golden cat and clouded cat of the same genus, and determined that the Bornean gold...

Felis iriomotensis(P.b.iriomotensis

Felis iriomotensis(P.b.iriomotensis

Felis iriomotensis(P.b.iriomotensis,Iriomote cat

Features:The cat's paw is bigger than that of an average cat, and its tail is also very thick.

The Iriomote cat, scientific name Felis iriomotensis (P.b.iriomotensis), is a subspecies endemic to Okinawa, Japan. In the local dialect, the Iriomote cat is called "Yamamaya" (cat in the mountains), "Pingumaaya" (cat that escaped) and "Yamapicalaya", which shows that t...

Prionailurus planiceps

Prionailurus planiceps

Prionailurus planiceps,Flat-headed Cat,Flat head cat

Features:Slightly long skull, flat top, short limbs, short and round ears

Flat-headed Cat (scientific name: Prionailurus planiceps), also known as Flat-headed Cat, or simply Flat-headed Cat, is a small wild cat with no subspecies.Flat-headed ocelots appear at dusk and dawn, and hunt at night or dawn. They mainly prey on frogs, fish and crustaceans, and also catch rats and...

Prionailurus rubiginosus

Prionailurus rubiginosus

Prionailurus rubiginosus,Rusty-spotted Cat,Rusty Cat

Features:It is one of the smallest species in the cat family.

Rusty-spotted cat (scientific name: Prionailurus rubiginosus), also known as Rusty-spotted Cat, or simply Rusty-spotted cat, is a very small wild cat with two subspecies.Rusty-spotted cats are small, agile, and active. They are nocturnal animals. They mostly sleep in their dens during the day and co...

Cymric

Cymric

Cymric,Long-haired Manx cat, Welsh cat

Features:Since the hind legs are longer than the front legs, the jumping-like walking posture is very cute

The Cymric cat is also called the long-haired Manx cat. It is a long-haired variant of the Manx cat. Like the Manx cat, it is tailless. It is a long-haired cat without a tail. The Cymric cat is not from Wales, nor is it from the UK like the Manx cat. It was first bred in Canada in 1960, and a short-...

Turkish Angora

Turkish Angora

Turkish Angora,Turkish Angora cat

Features:The Angora cat is slender, with a long and pointed head and large ears. The white Angora cat is the purest.

The Ankara cat, also known as the Turkish Angora cat, is one of the oldest long-haired cat breeds and was named after the capital of Turkey. Ankara's old name - Angola. Its origin dates back to the 16th century, making it the oldest long-haired cat breed. Since its introduction to Europe, its no...

Himalayan

Himalayan

Himalayan

Features:Has Siamese-like spots and Persian-like blue eyes

The Himalayan cat is named because it looks very similar to the rabbit with this name, and has nothing to do with the Himalayas. The breeding of Himalayan cats can be traced back to 1924, when a Swedish geneticist crossed Siamese cats, Burmese cats and Persian cats, but did not get obvious results....

Oriental longhair cat

Oriental longhair cat

Oriental longhair cat

Features:Slender and athletic body with a very pronounced feathered tail

The Oriental Longhair is a new breed obtained by crossing the Oriental Shorthair and the Balinese (semi-longhaired Siamese cat). TECA announced the standard of this breed in 1998. This breed is still rare in Europe.Oriental longhair cats are very lively, energetic, playful, strong-willed, and more d...

Balinese

Balinese

Balinese,Long-haired Siamese cat, long-haired Amish cat

Features:Named for its beautiful shape and graceful movements

Balinese cats are produced by natural mutation or hidden genetic traits of Siamese cats, so they were originally called long-haired Siamese cats. Balinese cats originated in the United States. They are long-haired mutants found in the offspring of Siamese cats raised by Mrs. Beren Smith in New York...

Bengal Cat

Bengal Cat

Bengal Cat

Features:Gentle yet with the wild beauty of an ocelot

The term "leopard cat" actually refers to two types of cats. One is the wild Asian leopard cat (a small wild cat with leopard-like patterns), and the other is a new breed of domestic cat produced by cross-breeding between Asian leopard cats and domestic cats. The leopard cats we refer to h...

Ocicat

Ocicat

Ocicat

Features:The entire body, except for the neck and tail, is covered with beautiful, lustrous wild markings.

The first Ocicat kitten was born in Europe in 1984. The spots on the body are carefully bred. The entire coat is striped, except for the tip of the tail, and the body has a distinct spotted pattern. The coat color is different from the eye color, but blue eyes are not allowed. Another important feat...

Chateau Cat

Chateau Cat

Chateau Cat

Features:Together with the Russian Blue and British Blue, they are known as the "Three Blue Cats".

The origin of the name of the Chateau cat is that it is the same color as the monk's robes of the Chateau cat sect monks, or it is the descendant of the blue cat born in the Chateau cat sect monastery. No matter which legend it is, it is related to the Chateau cat sect monastery. But in fact, it...

Cornish Rex

Cornish Rex

Cornish Rex

Features:Has a curly coat that looks like wavy hair

Cornish Rex, also known as Cornish Rex in English, can be described as "extreme". It is the opposite of Persian cats (or Garfield cats). It is extremely friendly, extremely slender, extremely tall, extremely lively, with an extremely small head, extremely large and upright ears, extremely...

Exotic

Exotic

Exotic、ExoticShorthair,Exotic shorthair cat, Exotic shorthair cat, Shorthair Persian cat, Exotic shorthair

Features:The head is broad and round, with a distinct depression in the nose and soft sheen on the fur.

Exotic Shorthair, also known as Exotic or ExoticShorthair, was bred in the 1960s in the United States by artificially mating long-haired cats such as Persian cats with American Shorthair cats and Burmese cats. When the breeding plan was first carried out, the Exotic Shorthair cats were still very th...

Tigertight Felis

Tigertight Felis

Tigertight Felis,Syrian marble cat, tiger cat

Features:There are three dark stripes along the spine, a butterfly pattern on the shoulders, and continuous thin stripes on the flanks.

The scientific name of the tabby cat is Tigertight Felis, which was bred by American pet lover Judy Sagin after 15 years of attempts. In 1980, American pet lover Judy Sagin found that her two tabby cats had very unique stripes. So she introduced another male cat with similar stripes from India to ma...

Felinae

Felinae

Felinae

Features:The character is really quite clingy, like a puppy

Oriental Shorthair Cat, scientific name Felinae, has a charming oriental body shape, and exudes a unique charm of oriental cats.The birth of the Oriental Shorthair Cat with big ears seems to be an accident. In order to create pure white Siamese cats, white cats and Siamese cats were bred. However, t...

American Wirehair

American Wirehair

American Wirehair,American Wirehair

Features:The hair is hard and huddled together, the tip of the hair is hooked and very elastic

The American Wirehair cat is called American Wirehair in foreign language. It was born in 1966 on a farm outside New York, USA, from a breed of American shorthair cat due to gene mutation.The American Wirehair cat is gentle, lively, smart, curious, bold, not afraid of strangers, and easy to get alon...

Rex cat

Rex cat

Rex cat

Features:The coat is very thin and not cold-resistant

The Rex cat appeared in West Berlin in 1946 and was registered in 1951. Rex cats are smart and clever, and have an outgoing personality. Because Rex cats have thin fur and lack a fluffy layer, they are sensitive to temperature changes and are not cold-resistant. Some people believe that feeding Rex...

Felis nigripes

Felis nigripes

Black-footed cat,Small tabby cat

Features:The name comes from the black markings on the soles of their feet.

The black-footed cat (Felis nigripes), named for the black markings on the soles of its feet, is one of the smallest species of wild cats, but can attack lambs four times its size.Black-footed cat's life habitsBlack-footed cats are nocturnal animals. In order to avoid the heat, they hide in term...

Felis margarita

Felis margarita

Felis margarita,Sand Cat、Sand Dune Cat,Chat des sables,Gato de las Arenas、Gato del Sahara, ArabicQit al rimal, pshaya koshka,sand cat, desert cat

Features:Short legs, large head, large ears, long tail

The Sand Dune Cat (scientific name: Felis margarita) is known as Sand Cat, Sand Dune Cat in English, Chat des sables in French, Gato de las Arenas, Gato del Sahara in Spanish, Arabic Qit al rimal in Arabic, pshaya koshka in Russian, and is one of the smallest cats with 6 subspecies.Sand cats are noc...