Mammals

What is a Mammal?

Warm-blooded vertebrate animals from the class Mammalia (including humans)that are characterized by the covering of hair on the skin. Also in mammals, the female will have milk-producing glands for feeding and nourishing the young.

Characteristics of Mammals:

• All mammals are warm-blooded
• Most mammals give birth to live young
• Mammals have have fur or hair on their bodies
• All mammals are vertebrae
• All mammals have lungs to breathe air
• Mammals feed milk to their babies/young

Classification of Mammals:

There are about 5,416 species of mammals in the animal kingdom. They are divided into 3 sub-classes (Eutheria, Metatheria, and Prototheria) and 26 different orders. Mammals fall under the:

Kingdom: Animalia 

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Here is the list of the total 26 orders that mammals fall under:

1. Subclass Eutheria (Mammals born in the uterus during pregnancy)

• Order Artiodactyla (Even-toed; examples= Antelope, Camels, Deer, Pigs, Cows, Sheep, Hippos)
• Order Carnivora (Carnivores; examples= Cats, Bears (Panda, Polar, Grizzly) Weasels)
• Order Cetacea (Examples= Whales, Dolphins)
• Order Chiroptera (Examples= Bats)
• Order Insectivora (Insect-eaters; examples= Hedgehogs, Moles, Shrews)
• Order Lagomorpha (Examples= Rabbits, Hares)
• Order Macroscelidea (Examples= Elephant Shrews, Jumping Shrews)
• Order Perissodactyla (Odd-toed; examples= Horses, Rhinos)
• Order Pholidota (Example= Pangolins)
• Order Primates (Examples= Apes, Monkeys, Lemurs, Humans)
• Order Proboscidea (Examples= Elephants, Mammoths, Mastodonts)
• Order Rodentia (Rodents; examples= Rats, Mice, Squirrels, Gerbils, Hamsters)
• Order Sirenia (Examples= Sea Cows, Manatees)
• Order Tubulidentata (Examples= Aardvark) 
• Order Edentata (Examples= Sloths, Armadillos)
• Order Hyracoidea (Examples= Cape Hyrax, Rock Hyrax)
• The following orders no longer exist; Extinct
• Order Condylarthra (No animal longer exists from this order; extinct. Appeared during the Cretaceous Period nearly 65.6 million years ago)
• Order Creodonta (No animal longer exists from this order; extinct. Group of carnivores that shared characteristics with Carnivora; Went extinct nearly 67.8 million years ago)
• Order Desmostylia (No animal longer exists from this order; extinct.They were a group of marine mammals, similar to manatees)
• Order Embrithopoda (No animal longer exists from this order; extinct. They were a group of rhino-like animals. Origin was in Romania, Turkey, and Mongolia.

Dolphin (Cetacea)

Rock Hyrax (Hyracoidea)

Elephant (Proboscidea)

Aardvark (Tubildentata)

Mole (Insectivora)

Hare (Lagomorpha)

Horse (Perissodactyla)

Katy Perry (Primate)

Bat (Chiroptera)

Polar Bear (Order Carnivora)

Lemur (Primate)

Pangolin (Pholidota) 

Squirrel (Rodentia)

Elephant Shrew (Macroscelidea)

Armadillo (Edentata)

Bill Cosby (Primate)

Antelope (Order Artiodactyla)

Bill Gates (Primate)

Sea Cow/Manatee (Sirenia)

1. Subclass Metatheria (Marsupials; includes 270 species of mammals whose young are in their immature state. Also females have pouches)

• Order Didelphimorphia (Examples= Opossums)
• Order Paucituberculata (These are shrew-like insectivores)
• Order Microbiotheria (This order only contains one living species called "Monito Del Monte"
• Order Dasyuromorphia (Examples= Numbat and the extinct Tasmanian Wolf)
• Order Peramelemorphia (Examples= Bandicoots and Bilbies)
• Order Notoryctemorphia (Examples= Marsupial Moles)
• Order Diprotodontia (Examples=This order has 10 families and 117 species; examples= Kangaroos, Wallaby, Wombats, and Koalas)

Shrew-like Insectivore (Paucituberculata)

Monito Del Monte (Microbiotheria)

Tasmanian Wolf (Dasyuromorphia)

Bandicoot (Peramelemorphia) 

Marsupial Mole (Notoryctemorphia)

Kangaroo (Diprotodontia)

Wallaby (Diprotodontia)

Koala (Diprotodontia)

Opossum (Didelphimorphia)