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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
Eothenomys eva

Eothenomys eva

Eothenomys eva(Thomas,1911),Taozhou woolly rat

Rodents LC

Features:The tail is more than half the length of the body, and the back hair is dense and gray.

Gansu woolly rat belongs to the subfamily Arvicolinae. Gansu woolly rat and another species Caryomys inez are both members of the genus Caryomys. In molecular systematics, Caryomys and Eothenomys are closely related. Previously, Caryomys was always a subgenus of Eothenomys. Liu Shaoying et al. (2012...

Clethrionomys rutilus

Clethrionomys rutilus

Clethrionomys rutilus,,Myodes rutilus,Northern Red-backed Vole,Clethrionomys rutilus

Rodents LC

Features:The ears are small, the front and hind limbs are short, the tail is densely haired, and the back hair is bright ochre brown or brown-red.

Red-backed voles belong to the subfamily Microtiinae. The species-level classification status is stable, and there are many subspecies differentiations. There are 2 subspecies in China. It is a typical cold-resistant species in the north. The population in meadows and wetlands in coniferous forests...

Clethrionomys rufocanus

Clethrionomys rufocanus

Clethrionomys rufocanus,Myodes rufocanus,Gray Red-backed Vole,Clethrionomys rufocanus,Hypudoeus rufocanus,Red-haired mouse

Rodents LC

Features:It has a stout body, large ears, short limbs, a reddish-brown back, grayish-yellow sides, and dirty white fur on the belly.

The brown-backed croaker belongs to the subfamily Arvicolinae. The species status is very stable, but the genus status is controversial. The species was named in 1846, and Miller (1900) established the subgenus <Craseomys> and regarded the brown-backed croaker as the only species of the subgen...

Alticola stoliczkanus

Alticola stoliczkanus

Alticola stoliczkanus (Blanford,1875)

Rodents LC

Features:The back of the body is gray-brown with a yellow-white spot behind the ear.

Alticola strachyi belongs to the Arvicolinae subfamily. The type specimen is found in Ladakh, India. There is no controversy about the classification itself, but the type locality of another species: Kumaung Alticola (<Alticola strachyi>) is also in Ladakh. The difference between the two class...

Alticola argentata

Alticola argentata

Alticola argentata,Gray Mountain

Rodents LC

Features:The top of the head and back of the body are light brown-gray, with dark gray base and light brown tips; the belly is grayish white, with gray base and white tips.

Belongs to the subfamily Arvicolinae. Its taxonomic status is controversial and is generally considered a synonym of Lowe's alpine croaker (<Alticola roylei>). The subspecies classification is also confusing. All species of the genus Alticola have a relatively limited distribution and hars...

Eospalax smithi

Eospalax smithi

Eospalax smithi,Myospalax smithii,Myospalax smithii Thomas

Rodents LC

Features:It is of medium size, with a short tail and dark gray-brown fur.

The Stevens's zokor belongs to the subfamily Myospalacinae. The Stevens's zokor is named after the specimen collected from Lintan, Gansu. There was controversy over whether it is an independent species. Sometimes it is regarded as a subspecies of the Qinling zokor (Eospalax rufescens). It ma...

Myospalax fontanieri

Myospalax fontanieri

Myospalax fontanieri,Common Chinese zokor,Eospalax fontanieri,Blind mouse, ground mouse, mole

Rodents LC

Features:The body shape is similar to that of the Northeastern zokor, but the front feet and front claws are thinner and shorter. The head is broad and flat, the nose is blunt, the back is obviously rusty red, and the hair base is gray-brown.

The Chinese zokor belongs to the subfamily Myospalacinae. There is much controversy over its classification. It was previously considered to belong to the family Myospalacinae. Since 1997, a number of molecular biological studies have shown that zokor and bamboo rats, as well as the northern Asian m...

Rhizomys sumatrensis

Rhizomys sumatrensis

Rhizomys sumatrensis,Indomalayan Bamboo Rat,Red-cheeked bamboo rat, Red bamboo rat

Rodents LC

Features:It is the largest species in the bamboo rat family.

The bamboo rat belongs to the subfamily Rhizomyinae, and the species is native to Malacca, Malaysia. It was recorded in China very early. The species-level classification status is stable, and there are 6 synonyms. There is some controversy as to whether these synonyms are independent species or sub...

Rhizomys sinensis Gray

Rhizomys sinensis Gray

Rhizomys sinensis Gray, bamboo rat, bamboo pig, bamboo civet, bamboo civet, bamboo weasel, reed rat, reed rat

Rodents LC

Features:It has a mole-like body, a stout appearance, similar to a zorrat, and dense, soft, brown-gray fur.

Like the silver-star bamboo rat, the Chinese bamboo rat is also a member of the subfamily Rhizomyinae. It lives underground for life and feeds on bamboo whips and bamboo shoots. It is distributed in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, and is co-existing with giant pandas. When the population is large, it wi...

Rhizomys pruinosus

Rhizomys pruinosus

Rhizomys pruinosus,Rhizomys latouchei, white bamboo rat, rough-haired bamboo rat, bamboo rat, Tulun

Rodents LC

Features:The body is stout and cylindrical, with rough fur and many long, white-tipped guard hairs scattered around, sticking out of the fur layer and shiny.

Silver-star bamboo rat belongs to the subfamily Rhizomyinae. In terms of classification, there is no dispute about the species-level classification unit, but the subspecies are more confusing. There are 3 subspecies in China, and whether they are established needs further research. They live undergr...

badius

badius

badius,Muscicapus, bamboo rat, winter rat, muscicapus, hog rat, bamboo civet, etc.

Rodents LC

Features:The eyes and ears are small, the limbs are short, and the claws are long and hard.

The bamboo rat belongs to the subfamily Rhizomyinae. There is only one species of the genus Rhizomyinae in the world. There is no dispute in its classification. Its distribution area in my country is narrow, its number is small, its specimens are very few, and its research is not in-depth. It lives...

Typhlomys macrourus Zheng

Typhlomys macrourus Zheng

Typhlomys macrourus Zheng,1993

Rodents LC

Features:The back of the body is dark gray, the tail is like a pig's tail, and there is a patch of white hair at the back.

The giant pig-tailed rat belongs to the Platacanthomyidae family, a very unique and ancient family. There are only 2 genera and 6 species, 4 of which are in China. The 4 species in China originally only had one pig-tailed rat (<Typhlomys cinereus>), the type locality is Fujian, of which there...

Sicista tianschanica

Sicista tianschanica

Sicista tianschanica,Sicista concolor,Rat

Rodents LC

Features:The body shape is similar to that of a house mouse, with a very long tail, about 1.5 times the body length. The tail is covered with short hair and does not form a hair bundle at the end.

Tianshan scissorium belongs to the subfamily Sicistinae, with only one genus - sicissorium (<Sicista>), with a total of 13 species, 4 of which are in China. This species is a rare species, with very few specimens and a very low rate of capture in the wild. It is distributed in mountain grassla...

Eozapus setchuanus

Eozapus setchuanus

Eozapus setchuanus,,Forest jerboa, forest jerboa, forest jerboa

Rodents LC

Features:It has a long tail, small eyes, long ears, and a wide longitudinal dark brown-yellow band on the central part of the back of the body.

The Sichuan forest jerboa belongs to the subfamily Zapodidae, which has only one species: the Sichuan forest jerboa. This species has 2 subspecies, the named subspecies was found in Kangding, Sichuan, with a "Y" shaped dark brown stripe in the middle of the abdomen; the Gansu subspecies wa...

Euchoreutes naso

Euchoreutes naso

Euchoreutes naso,Long-eared Jerboa,

Rodents LC

Features:It is small in size, with large and long ears; its tail is nearly twice as long as its body, and there is a spike of long hair at the end of its tail, which is black at the base and white at the tip.

The long-eared jerboa belongs to the subfamily Euchoreutinae, a single genus and a single species. There is no dispute about its taxonomic status, with 3 subspecies, 2 of which are in China. It inhabits deserts and sandy desert steppes. It is widely distributed, with a large population in sparse pop...

Dipus sagitta

Dipus sagitta

Dipus sagitta,Northern Three-toed Jerboa,Hairy-footed jerboa, gerbil, jumping rabbit, Yelaben (Mongolian)

Rodents LC

Features:It is of medium size, with a big head, big eyes, short ears, brown-gray fur on the back and pure white fur on the belly.

The three-toed jerboa belongs to the subfamily Dipodinae. This species is widely distributed in China, adapted to deserts, arid and semi-desert areas, with a large population, and is a common jerboa in my country.The three-toed jerboa is a sand-loving species. Although its habitat is diverse in term...

Salpingotus kozlovi

Salpingotus kozlovi

Salpingotus kozlovi,

Rodents LC

Features:It has a small body and a slender tail that is about twice its body length. The tail hair is sparse, the tail scales are visible, and the hair at the end of the tail is particularly long.

The three-toed cardiocraniinae belongs to the subfamily Cardiocraniinae. Although this species is widely distributed, its number is rare. There are very few specimens in the country. There is no dispute in classification, and there are 2 subspecies. There is very little information on ecology, and r...

Salpingotus crassicauda Vinogradov

Salpingotus crassicauda Vinogradov

Salpingotus crassicauda Vinogradov,Fat-tailed jerboa

Rodents LC

Features:Its body shape is similar to that of the three-toed heart-skulled jerboa, but its tail is shorter than that of the three-toed heart-skulled jerboa, its hind limbs are longer than its forelimbs, its hind feet have three toes, and there are brush-like pads of long hair under its feet.

The fat-tailed cardiocraniinae belongs to the subfamily Cardiocraniinae. There are 6 species in the genus Cardiocraniinae, 2 of which are in China. They are widely distributed, but very few in number. Their habitats include Haloxylon ammodendron deserts and abandoned farmland. The ecological researc...

Little gopher

Little gopher

Little gopher, hamsters, gophers

Rodents LC

Features:Smaller

The ground squirrel belongs to the Allactaginae subfamily. There are 3 species in the world, and only 1 in China. The number is relatively rare. It is a desert and semi-desert steppe species. The species status of this species is undisputed, and there are many subspecies. It is still unclear which s...

Allactaga elater

Allactaga elater

Allactaga elater,Jerboa, jumping rabbit, donkey jump, hard jump

Rodents LC

Features:Small in size and good at jumping

The small five-toed jerboa belongs to the subfamily Allactaginae. Jerboas are distributed in deserts and arid areas in North Africa, Arabia and northern Asia. They are one of the few mammals in this extreme environment. The species-level classification status of the small five-toed jerboa is stable...

Allactaga sibirica

Allactaga sibirica

Allactaga sibirica,Mongolian five-toed Jerboa,Five-toed jumping rabbit, jumping rabbit, jumping mouse

Rodents LC

Features:It is the largest species in the jerboa family, with a round head, big eyes, and big ears that can be folded forward to reach the tip of the nose. Its back is gray and its abdomen is pure white.

Five-toed jerboas belong to the Allactaginae subfamily. The species-level classification of five-toed jerboas is stable, and the subspecies differentiation is complex. There are more than 10 species, including 5 in my country, including the current Mongolian five-toed jerboas. But whether they are a...