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Mammals are defined as warm-blooded vertebrate animals that
raise their young on milk. Most have hair or fur and specialized
teeth. Females supply nourishment to their babies by means
of lactation (milk production) from mammary glands. Other
distinguishing features include specific characteristics of
the ear and jawbones, and of respiratory and circulatory anatomy.
Young are born live in all classes but monotremes. Mammals
have a more highly developed nervous system and brain than
do other vertebrates.
The class Mammalia is divided into three subclasses:
Eutherians are placental animals; embryos develop in the
womb and are nourished by the placenta. They are born fully
formed, although their eyes may be closed, they may not have
teeth and they may be furless. Eutherians comprise the largest
mammal group, with approximately 4,300 species. They are divided
into approximately 19 orders.
Marsupials are pouched animals; young are born undeveloped
and crawl to a pouch on the mother's abdomen, where they suckle
and continue their development. There are approximately 250
species of marsupials.
Monotremes are egg-laying mammals: young hatch in a helpless
state; they cannot suckle, thus lick milk from the belly hair
of the mother. With just three species (duck-billed platypus
and two spiny anteaters), Monotrema is the smallest subclass
of mammals.
Mammals evolved from a group of reptiles called therapsids
over 200 million years ago. Today, there are approximately
4,600 species in total. They range in size from about 2 grams
(tiny shrews and bats) to the 170 metric ton blue whale. Mammals
are found in all environments and in even the most extreme
habitats (e.g. polar bears in the Arctic or kangaroo rats
in a desert). While the majority live on land, some mammals
live in salt water (e.g. whales, seals) or fresh water (e.g.
otters, beaver).
Mammals are an important part of the food chain for both
wildlife and humans. Mammals have provided humans with food
and materials throughout history. However, many species can
no longer sustain their populations. They have been over-hunted;
poached for food, pelts, body parts, collections or the pet
trade; and killed because they presented a threat to crops,
domestic animals or humans. Several species became extinct
in the twentieth century, including eight species of marsupials,
four species of bats and the Caribbean monk seal.
Today, many wild mammals face an increasingly difficult struggle
for survival; habitat loss, exploitation, pollution and global
warming have resulted in more than 1,000 species being classified
at risk of extinction.
The website of the American Society of Mammalogists offers
information, publications and a mammal images library.
General or specific material and articles on Australasian
mammals and links to other sites.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's The Mammal
Species of the World (MSW) contains the names of the 4,629
currently recognized species of mammals, in a taxonomic hierarchy
that includes Order, Family, Subfamily, and Genus.
Mammal Links page includes Professional Societies; Journals;
Taxonomy; Databases; Museums and Universities: USA, Europe,
Canada, Australasia and Oceania, and Latin America.
An online tutorial on mammalogy.
The Department of Biology at Texas A&M University-Kingsville
offers a comprehensive list of mammalogy sites on the web.
Listings include online tutorials, databases, university websites
and more.
Mammalogy On the Web: Image archives, classifications
A scientific, peer-reviewed Journal of the European Association
for Aquatic Mammals. In this journal, papers dealing with
all aspects of the care, conservation, medicine and science
of aquatic mammals are published. The journal appears 3 times
per year.
Online Volumes: Vol. 1, No. 1 (1972) thru Vol. 27, No. 1 (2001)
Table of Contents. Abstracts available beginning Vol. 26,
No. 2. Printed Journal requires subscription.
The American Society of Mammalogists
Details the latest research in the science of Mammalogy.
Online Volumes: Vol. 81 (2000) thru Vol. 82 (2001) Abstracts
only. Journal requires membership in American Society of Mammalogists.
Mammal Review offers reviews of, and reports on, all aspects
of mammalogy.
Online Volumes: Vol. 27, No. 1 (March 1997) thru Vol. 31,
No. 3 (Sept. 2001) Table of Contents & Abstracts. Full
text available in HTML or PDF format by subscription only.
The Society for Marine Mammalogy publishes significant new findings
on marine mammals resulting from original research on their
form and function, evolution, systematics, physiology, biochemistry,
behaviour, population biology, life history, genetics, ecology,
and conservation.
Online Volumes: Vol. 1 (Jan. 1985) thru Vol. 13 (Oct. 1997)
- Table of Contents only. Vol. 14 (Jan. 1998) thru Vol. 17 (Oct.
2001) - Table of Contents & Abstracts.
(International Marine Mammal Association)
offers a variety of technical reports, briefings and papers
in PDF format online.
(National Wildlife Federation)
this online magazine/newsletter presents articles and information
about mammals and other animals.
An International History of Mammalogy:(Covering Africa-In Part : Southwest Pacific-In Part : The Americas-In Part : Europe-In Part)
by Catherine Alderton, W. F. Ansell
Paperback
One World Press
ISBN:0910485038
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Mammalogy:
by Nicholas Czaplewski, James M. Ryan, Terry A. Vaughan
Hardcover: 672 pages
Brooks/Cole Pub Co;4th edition
ISBN:003025034X
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A Manual of Mammalogy:with Keys to Families of the World
by Robert Eugene Martin, Ronald H. Pine, Anthony F. Deblase
Spiral-bound: 352 pages
McGraw Hill College Div; 3rd edition
ISBN:0697006433
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