The Mammals




BIO190: The Class: Mammals: Lesson 31

The Mammals

Mammalogy is the study of mammals. NAU's Department of Biological Sciences offers a course in mammalogy. Contact the Biology Department's Advisement Center for details 520-523-9304.

Mammal Species of the World

Armadillo Online!

Mammal Faculty: Dr. Con Slobodchikoff (520-523- 7231) conducts researh with prairie dogs. Dr.Sylvester Allred (520-523-7214) conducts research on tree squirrels. Dr. Tad Thimer conducts research on javelinas (520-523-7237) Contact them if mammal research is of interest to you.

Phylum Chordata
Subphlum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Mammalia (figs. 31-1 --> 31 - 27)

Mammals, with their highly developed nervous system and numerous ingenious adaptations, occupy almost every environment on earth that supports life. The Class Mammalia is overall the most biologically differentiated group in the animal kingdom.

Open the link below for an overview of mammalian phylogeny.

The Phylogeny of Mammals

The following are characteristics of mammals.

hair present in some form
1. pelage ("mammalian body ware")
  1. underhair
  2. guard hair
2. vibrissae
3. quills
"mammalian head ware"
1. horns (true)
  1. sheep/cattle
  2. core of bone form skull; covered with sheath
  3. not shed
  4. not branched
  5. males/females
2. antlers
  1. deer family
  2. bone
  3. velvet
  4. shed
  5. branched
  6. males
3. rhino horn
  1. hairs cemented together
  2. not shed
  3. not branched
  4. males/females
glands in skin
1. sweat
  1. eccrine
  2. apocrine
2. scent
  Browse these pages to find out more about scent in mammals!
  The Wonderful Skunk and Opossum Page)
3. sebaceous
4. mammary
diphyodont & heterodont vs homodont teeth of reps
nutrition
1. herbivores
  1. browers
    The Koala Page
    Giant Panda
  2. grazers
  3. gnawers
  4. coprophagy
  5. carnivores
  6. omnivores
external ears (pinnae)
endothermic/homeothermic
circulatory system
1. 4-chambered heart
2. nonnucleated biconcave RBCs
respiratory system
(lungs/aveloi)
muscular diaphragm
excretory system
(kidneys)
Dromedary Camel
nervous system
cloaca (only monotremes) (fig. 31-1)
The Wild World of Platypi
reproductive system
1. dioecious
2. males heterogametic
reproductive cycles
1. estrous
  1. monestrous
  2. polyestrous
2. menstrual cycle
  (menstruation)
internal fertilization
reproductive patterns
1. placental
  1. uterus
eggs (see monotremes)
females nourish young with milk from mammary glands
migration
Open the sites below to learn more about the migration of whales and caribou.
Whaletimes
Killer Whale
Caribou
flight Browse these sites to learn about the flying mammals: Bats
Bats
Bat-Conservation International
Bat echolocation
Building a bat house
Animal Bytes: Vampire Bats
gliding
echolocation
territory
home range
populations
hibernation The sites below will provide you with information on the two hiberating mammals.
Brown Bears
Polar Bears
extinctions

The Tiger Information Center

Human evolution (pp. 615 - 619)

Taxonomy Browser: Homo sapiens

Marine mammals
Open the sites below to explore the mammals of the sea.
Dolphins (Bottlenose)
Dolphin Images
The Marine Mammal Page
The Marine Protection Act
Save the Manatee Club
Strategies for Pursing a Career in Marine Mammal Science

Primates are of great interest to humans because of their close phylogenetic relationship. Find out more about primates, particularly the apes, at the sites below.

Once you have completed the lesson, you should go to Assignment 31-1.

E-mail Sylvester Allred at Syl.Allred@nau.edu