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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 Pangolins Proboscidea Monotremata
Mesoplodon peruvianus

Mesoplodon peruvianus

Cetacea LC

Features:It is the smallest beaked whale in the genus Mesopharma.

The Peruvian Beaked Whale is the smallest of the Mesoplodon peruvianus. The relevant information is only obtained from 13 specimens and a few possible sightings at sea. Scientists noticed their existence after part of a strange head was found in a fish market in San Andres, Peru in 1976; the head wa...

Mesoplodon mirus

Mesoplodon mirus

Trujillo's beaked whale, Wonderful beaked whale

Cetacea LC

Features:There are "dark circles" around the eyes and the beak is medium-sized.

True's Beaked Whale has never been identified at sea, so nothing is known about its behavior; the lack of confirmed sightings may simply reflect the difficulty of identification at sea. Scrapes and scars on the back and sides indicate that males fight with each other. Deep dives may be possible....

Mesoplodon layardii

Mesoplodon layardii

Long-toothed beaked whale, Lyman's beaked whale, hook-toothed beaked whale, long-toothed whale

Cetacea LC

Features:The teeth are bent upwards and the upper jaw is covered with dark patches on the face like a "mask"

Mesoplodon layardii, also known as Strap-toothed Whale, is the largest of the beaked whales and one of the few that can be identified in the sea. Rare in the wild; in calm, sunny weather, they may surface to bask in the sun; usually difficult to approach, especially by large ships. When they start d...

Hector's Beaked Whale

Hector's Beaked Whale

Heck's beaked whale, New Zealand beaked whale, Heck's beaked whale

Cetacea LC

Features:The beak is relatively short and has many scratches and scars.

Hector's Beaked Whale was first discovered in 1866, but until 1975, there were only 7 decaying specimens, all in the Southern Hemisphere. The first identifiable male whale was found in 1978; there are now more than 20 specimens, 4 of which are stranded in California, USA, indicating that the dis...

Mesoplodon grayi

Mesoplodon grayi

Cetacea LC

Features:The lip line is quite straight, and the beak is white and slender

Gray's Beaked Whale's scientific name is Mesoplodon grayi, and its foreign name is Gray's Beaked Whale. Limited sightings show that they may be more conspicuous than other beaked whales on the sea surface, seem to be more active, and live in large groups. Gray's Beaked Whales have be...

Mesoplodon ginkgodens

Mesoplodon ginkgodens

Japanese beaked whale, Ginkgo beaked whale, Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale

Cetacea LC

Features:Adult male whales do not appear to have vertical scars

Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (scientific name: Mesoplodon ginkgodens) is called ginkgo-toothed beaked whale in foreign language, and has no subspecies.Nothing is known about the behavior of the ginkgo-toothed beaked whale, and it should be very cautious by nature. It may appear in small groups. Male...

Mesoplodon europaeus

Mesoplodon europaeus

Theodore's beaked whale, Gulfstream beaked whale, European beaked whale, Andreas' beaked whale

Cetacea LC

Features:The beak is prominent and narrow, with white patches on the abdomen

Gervais's beaked whale was first recorded in the 1840s as a specimen floating in the English Channel (hence its name Mesopolodon europaeus), but no new discoveries have been made in northern Europe since then. Behavior in the wild remains speculative. The lack of sightings even in the most exten...

Mesoplodon carlhubbsi

Mesoplodon carlhubbsi

Harvey's beaked whale

Cetacea LC

Features:There is a raised white "cap" on the head, a thick and long beak, and huge teeth are clearly exposed.

Hubbs' Beaked Whale has only one possible sighting, and very little is known about its behavior. Obvious scars indicate that males fight very fiercely. It should be shy and cautious like other beaked whales of the genus Mesoplodon. It is believed that it will stick its head out of the water when...

Mesoplodon bidens

Mesoplodon bidens

Thor's beaked whale, North Sea beaked whale Thor's beaked whale, North Sea beaked whale

Cetacea LC

Features:The back is blue-gray or mouse-gray, the dorsal fin is small, and the beak is slender.

Sowerby's Beaked Whale, scientific name Mesoplodon bidens, foreign name Sowerby's Beaked Whale, is the earliest discovered beaked whale.Very little information is available. In 1800, one stranded in the Moray Firth in Scotland; four years later, the British watercolorist James Sowerby descri...

Hyperoodon planifrons

Hyperoodon planifrons

Cetacea LC

Features:The dorsal fin is located at the back 2/3 of the back, the forehead is convex and the beak is prominent.

The scientific name of the Southern Bottlenose Whale is Hyperoodon planifrons, and its foreign name is Southern Bottlenose Whale. It feeds exclusively on squid and cuttlefish. The contents of its stomach are almost entirely cephalopod beak residues. Some squid from the Antarctic and Subantarctic wat...

Hyperoodon ampullatus

Hyperoodon ampullatus

North Atlantic bottlenose whale, flathead whale, bottlehead whale, steep-headed whale

Cetacea LC

Features:The body is long but chubby, with a prominent beak and a towering forehead.

The scientific name of the northern bottlenose whale is Hyperoodon ampullatus. In 1770, Forster first mentioned the northern bottlenose whale in the translation notes of "Kalm, Travels into North America". The scientific name at that time was "Balaena ampullatus". The species nam...

Arnoux's Beaked Whale

Arnoux's Beaked Whale

Arnold's beaked whale, southern four-toothed whale, southern beaked whale, New Zealand beaked whale, southern bottlenose whale, southern porbeagle whale

Cetacea LC

Features:Diving time is usually between 15 and 25 minutes, usually to a depth of 1000 meters

Arnoux's Beaked Whale, scientific name Arnoux's Beaked Whale, is usually easily frightened and difficult to observe, and it is quite difficult to identify it on the sea surface. It seems to be gregarious, and is generally observed in groups close to each other, with a number of less than 10,...

Platanista gangetica minor

Platanista gangetica minor

Indus River Dolphin, South Asian River Dolphin Indus subspecies

Cetacea LC

Features:It is one of the few dolphins that live in fresh water.

The Indus River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor) is one of the few dolphins that live in freshwater. They are related to the Gangetic River Dolphins that live in the Ganges River in India. They like to move in waters deeper than 3 meters, and they also have special adaptability. When swimming to...

Caperea marginata

Caperea marginata

Small right whale, dwarf whale, dwarf whale, small right whale, pygmy right whale, new right whale

Cetacea LC

Features:

The scientific name of the pygmy right whale is Caperea marginata, and its foreign name is Pygmy right whale. It feeds on small plankton. It likes to live in shallow waters and dives for a long time. It swims very slowly and is easily confused with small whales. The largest group seen is 8.Listed in...

Balaenoptera bonaerensis

Balaenoptera bonaerensis

Antarctic baleen whale, Southern minke whale

Cetacea LC

Features:One of the smallest baleen whales

Antarctic minke whale (scientific name: Balaenoptera bonaerensis) is also known as Antarctic minke whale. New mitochondrial DNA tests have found that Antarctic minke whales are independent species from minke whales. This test also determined that minke whales are the closest relatives of Antarctic m...

Eubalaena australis

Eubalaena australis

Cetacea LC

Features:The body is dark grey or black, with occasional spots on the abdomen.

Southern right whale (scientific name: Eubalaena australis) is also known as Southern right whale in foreign languages. It has no subspecies. It was described by Desmoulins in 1822, and later classified as a genus of Eubalaena by Gray in 1864. The previous classification considered the Southern righ...

Eubalaena glacialisBorowski

Eubalaena glacialisBorowski

Eubalaena glacialis Borowski

Cetacea LC

Features:Listed as one of the six whale species in the world that are in danger of extinction

The North Atlantic right whale (Scientific name: Eubalaena glacialis Borowski) is also known as the North Atlantic Right whale. Due to excessive hunting around the world, it is on the verge of extinction and has been listed as one of the six whales in danger of extinction in the world.The North Atla...

Pelea capreolus

Pelea capreolus

Gray shorthorn, Common shorthorn

Features:Only males have horns and males are very aggressive

Shorthorn (scientific name: Pelea capreolus) Grey Rhebok, Common Rhebok, Rhebok, Vaal Rhebok, no subspecies.Shorthorn is active during the day, occasionally grazing and resting, and tends to rest in the shade at noon. They form two kinds of social groups. The first consists of many females and one d...

Redunca redunca

Redunca redunca

Common reedbuck, Senegal reedbuck

Features:A ring of pale hair around the eyes, lips, jaw, and upper throat

Reedbuck (scientific name: Redunca redunca) is called Bohor Reedbuck, Common Reedbuck, Cobe de Roseaux in French and Cobe de Roseaux in German. It has 7 subspecies.Adult male reedbucks maintain territories of 0.2–0.3 km2, enforcing their boundaries through patrolling and display rather than marking...

Redunca fulvorufula

Redunca fulvorufula

Redunca fulvorufula

Features:Fur color is mostly gray-brown to gray, with dark scent glands under the ears

Mountain Reedbuck (scientific name: Redunca fulvorufula) is called Mountain Reedbuck in English, Redunca de montagne in French, Rooiribbock in Afrikaans, and Bergriedbock in German. There are three subspecies.The range size of mountain reedbuck territories ranges from 15,000-48,000 square meters. Fe...

Redunca arundinum

Redunca arundinum

Features:The fur color varies widely, from light yellow-brown to gray-brown

Southern Reedbuck (scientific name: Redunca arundinum) English Southern Reedbuck, French Redunca grande, Afrikaans Rietbok, German Grossriedbock, no subspecies.The territory of female Southern Reedbuck is 15-40 hectares. Males maintain territories that include several females. Territory demarcation...