BIO370-Mammals

BIO 370 — Vertebrate Zoology	Go To: Udo Savalli \| BIO 370
Vertebrate Diversity Class Mammalia — Mammals (Click on any image for larger version)

Mammalia Characteristics

Duck-billed Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus, skull

Duck-billed Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus, museum skin

Short-nosed Echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus, museum skin and skull

Order Didelphimorphia

Virginia Opossum Skull, Didelphis virginiana

Shorttailed Opossum, Monodelphis domestica

Order Dasyuromorphia

Tasmanian Devil Skull, Sarcophilus harrisii

Eastern Quoll, Dasyurus viverrinus;
Source: A. E. Brehm. Het Leven der Dieren. Retrieved from Project Gutenberg

Order Diprotodontia Kangaroos, Wallabies, Koalas, Wombats, etc. Mostly herbivorous or omnivorous Includes largest marsupials Note broad grinding molars, diastema Australia	Kangaroo skull, Macropus sp.	Eastern Gray Kangaroo, Macropus giganteus
Sugar Glider, Petaurus breviceps	Brush-tailed Bettong, Bettongia penicillata	Koala, Phascolarctos cinereus

Order Proboscidia

African Elephant molar, Loxodonta africana (length=205 mm)

African (Bush) Elephants, Loxodonta africana; Kenya

Order Xenarthra Armadillos, anteaters, sloths No canines or incisors Cheek teeth small and simple or also absent Specialized insectivores 31 species; Neotropics (Taxonomic notes: formerly part of polyphyletic Order Edentata; Sometimes further split into 2 Orders: Pilosa [anteaters + sloths] and Cingulata [armadillos])	Giant Anteater skull, Myrmecophaga tridactyla	Nine-banded Armadillo skull, Dasypus novemcinctus
Two-toed Sloth, Choloepus sp.	Giant Anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla	Nine-banded Armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus; FL

Order Rodentia Rodents Mostly small size 1 pair of continuously growing incisors Large diastema between incisors and cheek teeth Diverse diets, but majority herbivores, seed-eaters Includes 40% of all mammal species	Brown Rat skull, Rattus norvegicus See also labeled photo.	Common Muskrat skull, Ondatra zibethicus See also labeled photo.
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, Spermophilus lateralis; CA	Western Harvest Mouse, Reithrodontomys megalotis; CA	Capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, the world's largest rodent (up to 75 kg)

Order Lagomorpha Rabbits and pikas Similar to rodents Tail very short Two pairs of upper incisors (2nd pair behind first) Fenestrated skull 91 species; worldwide
Rabbit Skull, Lepus sp.	Desert Cottontail, Sylvilagus audubonii; CO	American Pika, Ochotona princeps; CO

Order Primates Lemurs, monkeys, apes Cheek teeth squarish Large, forward-facing eyes Reduced muzzle but larger brain Grasping hands with nails instead of claws 388 species, tropics (humans worldwide) For more primates, see Primates Page	Vervet Monkey Skull, Cercopithecus aethiops See also labeled photo.	Vervet Monkey, Cercopithecus aethiops; Kenya
		Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur, Varecia variegata

Order Lipotyphla Shrews, moles, hedgehogs. Generalized, ancestral characteristics Cusps on cheek teeth form triangular pattern Most are small sized Relatively small brains Pointed snouts with small eyes and ears Primarily insectivorous Formerly part of polyphyletic Order Insectivora 442 species	Eastern Mole skull, Scalopus aquaticus	European Hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus
		Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina carolinensis?

Order Chiroptera Bats Forelimb modified into wing Forearm, fingers greatly elongated Diet varies, including fruit, insects >1100 species; worldwide Two suborders: Megachiroptera are the large, tropical fruit bats (aka flying foxes) with no echolocation Microchiroptera are mostly smaller; all use echolocation and are predominantly insectivorous	Lyle's Flying Fox skull, Pteropus lylei	Javan Pipistrelle skull, Pipistrellus javanicus (length = 16 mm)
	Rodriguez Fruit Bat, Pteropus rodricensis	Big Brown Bat, Eptesicus fuscus; CA

Order Carnivora Dogs, cats, bears, weasels, seals, etc. Carnassial dentition: last upper premolar & 1st lower molar form specialized cutting teeth Well developed canines Most are predators Pinnipeds are aquatic, with limbs modified into flippers 282 species, now worldwide	Bobcat skull, Lynx rufus See also labeled photo.	Side-striped Jackal skull, Canis adustus See also labeled photo.
Black Bear skull, Ursus americanus	Mink skull, Mustela vison	California Sea Lion skull, Zalophus californianus
Sun Bear, Helarctos malayanus	Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes; CA	Northern Raccoons, Procyon lotor; CA
African Lions, Panthera leo; Kenya	Spotted Hyaenas, Crocuta crocuta; Kenya	California Sea Lions, Zalophus californianus; CA

Order Perissodactyla Odd-toed Ungulates 1 or 3 toes per foot Large size Elongated rostrum Herbivorous; hind-gut fermenters 16 species	Burchell's Zebras, Equus burchelli; Kenya	Domestic Horse skull, Equus caballus
	Black Rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis	Malayan Tapirs, Tapirus indicus

Order Artiodactyla Even-toed Ungulates 2 or 4 toes per foot Diverse in size, shape Omnivorous or herbivorous; many are foregut fermenters Many have horns or antlers 239 species, worldwide
White-tailed Deer skull, Odocoileus virginanus, ♂ with antlers	Impala skull, Aepyceros melampus, ♂ with horns	Collared Peccary skull, Pecari (Tayassu) tajacu
♂ White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus; TX	♂ Impala, Aepyceros melampus; Kenya	Collared Peccary, Pecari (Tayassu) tajacu
Hippopotamuses, Hippopotamus amphibians; Kenya	African Buffalo, Syncerus caffer; Kenya	Giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis; Kenya

Order Cetacea

Whales & Dolphins
Fully aquatic
Very large size with streamlined shape
Front flippers; no hind limbs
Broad crescent-shaped tail fluke
Nostril on top of head (blowhole)
Skulls often asymmetric
88 species; oceans and some rivers
Two extant suborders:
- Odontoceti (toothed whales, dolphins) have simple homodont teeth
- Mysticeti (baleen whales) lack teeth but have baleen: keratin sheets used to strain food

Pacific White-sided Dolphin skull, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens

Beluga Whale, Delphinapterus leucas

Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus

Bowhead Whale baleen, Balaena mysticetus

In addition to those above, 12 other orders (4 Metatherian, 8 Eutherian) are usually recognized.
Most of these contain fewer than 20 species.
You do not need to know these orders.
Of the five orders shown, all but the Scandentia are members of the clade Afrotheria (which also includes elephants).