Home>>All Animals>>Mammal

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.

Mammals.jpg


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
White-faced Saki monkey

White-faced Saki monkey

Pithecia pithecia

Features:A very unique monkey

The shiny tail of the white-faced Saki monkey is about 34 to 45 cm long, so it is also called the "fox-tailed monkey". There are two subspecies.Male and female white-faced saki monkeys live in pairs for life, leading a traditional monogamous small group life, and only one baby is born each...

White-nosed Sakya

White-nosed Sakya

Chiropotes albinasus

Features:The monkey whose name was mistakenly changed

The white-nosed saki is an endangered bush monkey found in the southeastern Amazon rainforest of Brazil.The nose of the white-nosed saki is actually pink, not white. In 1848, a zoologist named Daviot got a specimen of a saki monkey. When he got the specimen, he saw that the nose was white. The nose...

Black-beared saki

Black-beared saki

Chiropotes satanas

Features:A face that even the sun can’t darken

The black-bearded saki is a species of the Capuchin family, Saki genus.The Saki monkey was first discovered around the 1930s, more than 80 years ago. Naturalists from Ecuador discovered this new species near the Eru River and called it the Saki monkey. Since then, it has disappeared for various reas...

Trachypithecus pileatus

Trachypithecus pileatus

Capped Langur, Hooded leaf monkey

Features:The crown is dark in color, like a "small hat" on the head

There are 4 subspecies of the hooded langur, with different fur colors. The Bengal subspecies has orange abdomen, beard and throat; the Bhutan subspecies has a gray collar, a light red abdomen, a black face and a dark gray crown; the Brahman subspecies has a much lighter fur color than other subspec...

Trachypithecus phayrei

Trachypithecus phayrei

Phayre’s langur, Gray monkey, long-tailed monkey, Philippine leaf monkey, French leaf monkey

Features:"Melancholy" blue eyes attract people's pity

Philippine leaf monkeys are typical arboreal leaf monkeys in tropical and subtropical Southeast Asia. There are two subspecies: Philippine leaf monkey nominate subspecies and Philippine leaf monkey subspecies Yunnan.The activities, foraging and playing of Philippine leaf monkeys are mostly carried o...

Semnopithecus schistaceus

Semnopithecus schistaceus

Nepal Gray Langur, Himalayan gray langur, Long-tailed langur

Features:Pay attention to your own image and have high jumping ability

The Himalayan Gray Langur, also known as Nepal Gray Langur, was once a subspecies of the Indian Gray Langur. It is now a single species with no subspecies differentiation.The Himalayan gray leaf monkey is a species with a strong terrestrial habitation. It spends 80% of its time on the ground. Becaus...

Macaca thibetana

Macaca thibetana

Milne-edwards’ Macaque

Features:The monkey that can change its face, the largest species of Chinese macaques​

The Tibetan macaque is a species endemic to China and is also the largest species of the Chinese macaque genus.The Chinese name "Tibetan macaque" first appeared in the "Zoological Dictionary" published in 1922 because its Latin name used a place name "Tibet", but in fac...

Ochotona argentata

Ochotona argentata

Helan Mountain pika, Ningxia pika

Features:It is a species endemic to my country and its number is too rare.

Ningxia pika, also known as Helan Mountain pika, belongs to the Leporidae, Lepus species, and Lepus genus. It is a critically endangered species in the world. It is a pika that only lives in the ridge area of the Helan Mountains in northwest China. It mainly inhabits mountain gravel belts above 2,00...

Caprolagus hispidus

Caprolagus hispidus

Rough-haired rabbit, Wire-haired rabbit, Assami rabbit

Features:One of the rarest mammals in the world

Compared with other rabbits, the shag rabbit has shorter ears and brown-black fur. It usually lives in high-altitude grasslands and swamps, and is most active at dawn and dusk. It is a herbivorous rabbit native to the foothills of the Himalayas.They were once common, but have lost their habitat due...

Lepus hainanus

Lepus hainanus

Hainan rabbit, hare, grass rabbit

Features:Hainan rabbit is a species endemic to China, with no subspecies differentiation. It is the smallest and most colorful wild rabbit in China.

The Hainan rabbit is a solitary animal that is active mainly at night, and is most active at dusk or dawn. It lives in bushes and grasslands. It neither hibernates nor aestivates. It reproduces several times a year, with a gestation period of about 30 days, and the young reach sexual maturity in abo...

Ochotona iliensis

Ochotona iliensis

Ili pika, Teddy pika

Features:It looks like both a rabbit and a mouse and is a species unique to my country. Among the only 24 species of the genus Pika recognized internationally, this one has the largest ears, the longest hind legs and the largest body.

The Ili pika is a very endangered and rare species. It was discovered very late and was published as a new species by Li Weidong and Ma Yong in 1986. Due to its rarity and naive appearance, it is loved by people and has received strong attention from the scientific community. It is called the Chines...

Macaca

Macaca

Macaca mulana,Macaque, monkey, yellow monkey, rhesus monkey, old green monkey, Guangxi monkey

Features:The most common monkey in nature

Macaques are the most common monkeys in nature, with 10 subspecies.Like the US presidential election, the Monkey King is also "re-elected" every 4 years and can also be re-elected. The throne of the monkeys is created through fierce struggles and fights between the strong. When the term of...

Macaca leonina

Macaca leonina

dolphin-tailed monkey, flat-topped monkey, pig-tailed monkey, pig-tailed monkey

Features:Flat hair style, pig-like tail

The northern pig-tailed macaque is a species of macaque, slightly smaller than the pig-tailed macaque.The northern pig-tailed macaque has a nickname called "flat-topped monkey", which comes from the fact that their heads are not only flat but also have a hair whorl. In addition to this app...

Macaca cyclopis

Macaca cyclopis

Macaca cyclopis Swinhoe,Formosan macaque, black-limbed monkey, rock-dwelling macaque

Features:The fur on the limbs is dark, and the hands and feet are black, so it is also called "black-limbed monkey".

The Formosan monkey is endemic to China.The Formosan monkey is similar to the macaque, but with a grayer body and darker tail. Their tails are both more than half the length of their bodies, but the Formosan monkey's tail is proportionally longer, smaller and fatter than the macaque's.Around...

Macaca assamensis

Macaca assamensis

Assamese Macaque,Bear monkey, Rong monkey, Assam monkey, mountain macaque, Himalayan monkey, Assam short-tailed monkey, big green monkey

Features:It looks a lot like a macaque, but is slightly larger than a macaque. It is named for its fat body and bear-like appearance.

The bear monkey is endemic to the Himalayas and Indochina. It looks very similar to a macaque, but is slightly larger than a macaque. It is named because of its fat body and bear-like appearance.The call of the bear monkey is different from that of the macaque. It sounds like a dog barking, but with...

Macaca arctoides

Macaca arctoides

Stumptail Macaque,Short-tailed monkey, red-faced monkey, pile-tailed monkey, human bear,big green monkey

Features:The face is often dark red or with purple patches, and the tail is surprisingly short, not even as long as the hind legs.

The macaque is a larger species of macaque that is endemic to South and Southeast Asia.The appearance of the macaque is so similar to that of the Tibetan emirate that many books confuse them with each other, and some people think that they belong to different subspecies of the same species. However,...

Nycticebus pygmaeus

Nycticebus pygmaeus

pygmy loris,Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus,Little slow loris,wind monkey, little wind monkey

Features:Similar to the slow loris, but smaller

The pygmy slow loris is the smallest prosimian species in China. It is very similar to the slow loris but smaller in size, only half the size of the slow loris.The habitat and living habits of the pygmy slow loris are similar to those of the slow loris. It is mild-tempered, nocturnal, arboreal, and...

Loris tardigradus

Loris tardigradus

Slow loris,Bengal slow loris, gray slow loris, wind civet, flat monkey, shy cat, mimic monkey

Features:The only venomous primate on Earth

The slow loris is the largest of all species in the genus Sloris.Although the protection level of slow loris is very high, they are actually very inconspicuous animals in nature. Adult slow loris are only about 30 centimeters long and weigh less than two kilograms on average. Their overly petite siz...

Snowshoe Cat

Snowshoe Cat

Features:It is a new breed bred in the United States, characterized by its four snow-white hooves.

The Snowshoe cat originated in the United States and was produced by mating mixed-color American Shorthair and Siamese cats.The origin of the Snowshoe cat can be traced back to the 1960s, when a Siamese cat raised by Dorothy Hinds Daugherty in Philadelphia, USA, gave birth to a litter of three kitte...

Turkish Van

Turkish Van

Van Kedisi,VAN CAT

Features:Türkiye's national treasure is more expensive than you can imagine

The Turkish Van cat is a pure natural cat that originated in the Lake Van region of Turkey. It is a mutation of the Turkish Angora cat. Strictly speaking, it is a strain of the Angora cat, so it is very similar to the Angora cat.Turkish Van cats are particularly tenacious, have good environmental to...

Siberian Forest Cat

Siberian Forest Cat

Сибирская,Сибирская кошка

Features:The largest and oldest natural cat breed in existence, the Russian national cat

Siberian Forest Cat Russian: "Сибирская", also known as Siberian Forest Cat. Russia's national cat. It is a very common cat in the Russian market and Siberian countryside.According to recorded history, the Siberian breed has been around for at least a thousand years. It was cl...