Mammalia

Reminder: Clicking on the picture will take you to the site where I originally found it.

Welcome to the page of mammals. I thought originally about just including a list of my favorites, like with the birds or the osteicthyes, but the list was too long, and if I didn't include one, it would be like un-inviting a cousin from a family reunion. So here are all 21 current orders of mammals. (Ten years ago, there were only 19. I better get this on-line before others are created.)

So, these are the mammals, the class you belong to. There are a few characteristics you need to know about mammals. Of course, they're animals and vertebrates, but they have some specialization. Here are the basics:

• They have mammary glands. These are specialized sweat glands which produce milk for nourishing the young. All mammals have them, but they're only useful in the females.
• They have bodies which are covered by fur or hair. Humans seem pretty hairless, but if you look closely, you'll note hairs on most of your skin. All mammals have hair, even dolphins and whales.
• All mammals, with one notable exception, give birth to live young. Only the monotremes like the platypus lay eggs.
• Mammals are endothermic. This means they're "warm-blooded" and can regulate their own body temperatures. This allows them to circle the globe and adapt to both the polar regions and the tropics.
• Mammals also have a four-chambered heart and a diaphragm for breathing.

Listed below are the orders of mammals. By clicking on the name of the order, you'll have a separate page pop up with information about that order. Make sure you close the page when you're done reading it. Also I encourage you to discover how these orders are related to one another. For example, which is more closely related - rhinos and hippos, or deer and dolphins? You'll have to ask for the answer to that one. Enjoy your search.

Orders of Mammals
Order	Examples
artiodactyla	(even-toed) deer, bison, goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, camels, pecaries, hippos, giraffe, antelope, goats
carnivora	wolf, coyote, dog, fox, bobcat, lynx, cat, bears, weasels, mink, otters, wolverine, badger, skunk
cetacea	whales and dolphins
chiroptera	bats
dermoptera	flying lemur (colugo)
edentata	sloths, armadillos and anteaters
hyracoidea	hyrax
insectivora	shrews and moles
lagomorpha	rabbits and hares
macroscelidea	elephant shrews - once insectivore, or as an ungulate
marsupialia	kangaroo, opossum, other Australian mammals
monotremata	platypus, echidna
perissodactyla	(odd-toed) horse, donkey, zebra, rhinos, tapir
pholidata	pangolins (family: Manidae)
pinnipedia	seals, sea lions
primata	people, lemurs, new-world monkeys, greater and lesser apes, old-world monkeys
proboscidea	elephants
rodentia	chipmunks, squirrels, rats, mice, beavers, voles, lemmings, muskrats, porcupine, nutria
scandentia	tree shrews (formerly part of primates)
sirenia	manatees and dugongs
tubulidentata	aardvark

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• Agnatha
(jawless fish)
• Chondricthyes
(cartilage fish)
• Osteichthyes
(bony fish)
• Amphibia
(amphibians)
• Reptilia
(reptiles)
• Aves
(birds)

Back to the Chordate page, or
to the overview.