CHAPTER 16 / MAMMALS

sloth

Spend the majority of their lives hanging upside down with their long, curved claws hooked around tree branches

viviparous

babies are born alive

numbat

banded anteater, has 52 teeth more than any other land mammal

marsupials

bear their young alive, but spend the gestation period outside of the womb and nourished inside the mother's pouch

dolphin

believed to be the second most intelligent animal, use sonar like bats

echidna

between 12 and 18 inches long and weigh about 10 pounds; have short spines, digs into earth with spines exposed or can roll into a tiny ball

tigers

biggest members of the cat family, usually hunt alone nocturnally

zebra

black and white striped horse; nearly impossible to tame

blue whale

world's largest animal, 110 feet long and weighing more than 150 tons

orangutan

characterized by its long, shaggy, orange-brown hair and large-sad, looking face; weighs up to 165 pounds, but appear larger due to its shaggy coat

hyrax

coney; have hooves and pads on their feet, defenseless animals that cling to rocks for protection

chimpanzee

considered the most intelligent of the apes and probably all animals; 3-5 feet tall and weigh between 50 and 130 pounds

omnivore

consume flesh and vegetation

platypus

designed to live both on land and in water; long, flat body and paddlelike tail; have soft and rubbery bill

gopher

display a community behavior in long, complex underground tunnels; could consist of hundreds of individuals

koala

eats only the buds and leaves of the eucalyptus; spends most of its time in the trees

sea lion

large seals that have ears but lack underfur

rats

large, strong, and aggressive; breed rapidly, up to 100 young per year; carry diseases such as bubonic plague, food poisoning, and typhus

alaskan brown bear

largest land-dwelling carnivore; can stand over 10 feet tall and weigh up to 1500 lbs.

elephant

largest living land animal; massive weight is supported by a bulky body and column-like legs, but the head is made of very light bone material

wolverine

largest member of the weasel family, weigh up to 50 lbs.; known for their strength and ferocity

mountain gorilla

largest of the apes, gentle vegetarians that turn hostile to defend their family

capybara

largest rodent; growing up to 4 feet long and weighing over 100 lbs.; lives in Central and South America

beaver

largest rodents in the US, construct large dams to support their underwater homes, built of sticks and mud; large, broad tails help swim and communicate

flying fox

largest species of bat; wingspan up to 4 feet

hare

like rabbits but larger, very excitable animal with rapid body activities; large ears act as radiators that expel excess heat

mole

live almost exclusively underground; use keen sense of smell and hearing to travel below ground

new world monkeys

live only in Central and South America; includes marmosets, capuchins, and spider monkeys

lemur

live only in Madagascar and nearby islands; vary in size from mouse-sized to small dog

mice

lives on every continent, can begin to reproduce at 35 days old, produce 5 or more litters of 3-12 young in one year

anteater

long claws and powerful forelimbs tear down large anthills and consumes as many as 30,000 ants and termites a day; have an acute sense of smell - about 40 times keener than humans

porcupine

long, stiff quills made of keratin used to attack predators; animals often die when stuck by them due to infection of the wounds

tapir

looks like a pig with an extra-long snout; live in the humid tropical areas of Asia and South America; 4 toes on the front feet and 3 on its back feet

warm-blooded, hair, mammary glands, four-chambered heart, internal skeleton

mammal characteristics

tubulidentata

mammal order - aardvarks

chiroptera

mammal order - bats

sirenia

mammal order - dugongs and manatees (sea cows)

monotremata

mammal order - echidna and platypus, only oviparous mammals

proboscidea

mammal order - elephants

artiodactyl

mammal order - even toe ungulates; includes the bovids and deer

carnivora

mammal order - flesh eaters; lions, tigers, and bears

dermoptera

mammal order - flying lemurs

primates

mammal order - have all five fingers and usually opposable thumbs and toes for grasping; have nails rather than claws; includes apes and monkeys

insectivora

mammal order - hedgehogs, moles

hyracoidea

mammal order - hyrax

xenarthra

mammal order - name means strange joints; includes sloths, armadillos, anteaters

pholidota

mammal order - pangolins

marsupialia

mammal order - pouch mammals, kangaroos, koalas, opossums

lagomorpha

mammal order - rabbit, hare, pika

rodentia

mammal order - rats, mice; two pairs of sharp, chisel-like incisor teeth

cetacea

mammal order - whales, dolphins, and porpoises

wombat

marsupial that is one of the best diggers among mammals, 27-47 inches and weighs up to 80 pounds

armadillo

means "little armored one;" Covered with neat rows of tough plates that are jointed across the back, allowing some species to curl up in a ball and tuck their head and feet in for protection; always bears identical twins or quadruplets

deer

most are spotted when they are born, but as they grow older their coats change to a solid white, chocolate brown, yellowish brown, or grayish brown

donkey

perissodactyl that are helpful work animals since ancient times

ape

primate without a tail

monkey

primates with tails

whales

resemble fish but are warm-blooded, breathe with lungs, bear live young, and nurse with milk

wolves

ruthless and ferocious carnivores known for their cunning attacks; can consume 1/5 of their body weight at one meal; travel in packs with their howls keeping them together

pangolin

scaly anteater; name means "horny scale" and describes the overlapping plates that cover its body

elephant seal

seal species that can descend 2000 feet to eat; reach up to 20 feet and weigh around 3 tons

hedgehog

short and soft spines; rolls into a ball when threatened; about 10 inches long and 2 lbs.

horse

single-toed perissodactyl; very intelligent with a great memory and easily trained for tasks

ai

sloth species that is the slowest land mammal

kitti's hog-nosed bat

smallest mammal by overall body size

antlers

solid structures that are annually shed

weasels

some of the most relentless hunters despite their average size being around 8.5 inches; a male may kill at least 500 small rodents each year

prehensile

tails designed for grasping objects

giraffe

tallest living animal; 18 foot tall; can reach speeds of 37 mph

siberian

tiger species; largest tiger at 10 feet tall and weighing as much as 650 lbs.; coloration serves as camouflage with vegetation at a distance

sperm whale

toothed whale that is 65 feet long and 60 tons, 36-56 teeth in its jaws

platypus, echidna

two mammals that give birth through an egg

perissodactyla

ungulates with odd-number of toes

rhinoceros

weigh as much as 3.5 tones; have one or two horns on their head; can charge at nearly 35 mph

orca

whales that prey on seals, penguins, dolphins, and small baleen whales; hunt in packs in the wild but are gentle in captivity

dingo

wild, carnivorous dogs of Australia

manatee

can be 15 feet long and weigh over 1000 pounds; live in Florida, Caribbean Sea, and South America; tail not forked and upper lip is divided in half

lions

can be 7 feet long and weigh 500 pounds; dwell in prides of about 15; live in sub-Saharan Africa or India

pika

about 7 inch lagomorph, live on mountainsides beyond the tree line; spend much time collecting food for winter

walrus

aquatic carnivores that have tusks; tusks haul them out of the water or chisel into the ice to open an air hole; can weigh as much as 3000 pounds

seals

aquatic carnivores; webbed flippers, streamlined bodies covered with short, dense fur that serves as insulation; can remain submerged for 15-20 minutes

rabbit

can jump 16 feet, and run up to 35 mph; can zigzag and even backtrack its own trail to confuse predators

cheetah

can run from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds with a max speed of 68-75 mph

camel

can survive -20 to 100 degree temperatures; can drink 200-300 pounds of water in a brief time

oviparous

egg-laying

echolocation

emitting sounds and detecting the echoes that bounce back to "see" their surroundings

hooves

enlarged and thickened toenails

gibbon

extremely long arms used for brachiation; walk with arms waving in the air to maintain balance

dugong

forked tails, reach 10 feet in length and weigh about 400 pounds

bat

greatly elongated fingers; thin web with blood vessels, nerves, and tiny muscles allowing the bat to fly; most numerous of all mammals

ruminants

have a 4-chambered stomach to chew the cud

baleen whale

have two rows of comblike plates that hang from each side of the upper jaw; uses its teeth as a giant strainer to eat food in water

horns

hollow structures that are usually permanent

ungulates

hoofed animals; rhino, horses

kangaroo

hop on their powerful hind legs, achieving speeds of 25-30 mph for miles and 40 mph for short distances; males grow their entire lives

grizzly bear

most dangerous animals of North America, 75% of their diet is comprised of vegetation; hibernation lasts between 5 and 8 months

aardvark

name means earth pig; digs holes and eats ants/termites; weighs about 140 pounds and is 4-5 feet long

flying lemur

nocturnal animals in the tropical jungles; it is the longest-gliding mammal; several 100 yards

old world monkeys

nonprehensile tails, live only Africa and Asia; includes the mandrill, colobus monkey, and baboon

bear

omnivores whose massive body is supported by a flat-footed stance; able to kill and drag animals larger than themselves

polar bear

only large land carnivore that does not naturally fear man; feed primarily on fat-rich seals; can measure over 10 feet tall; black skin with clear reflective fur making it look white

opossum

only marsupial outside Australia and the surrounding islands; will play dead when attacked