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Amammal (from Latin mamma 'breast') is avertebrate animal of theclassMammalia (/məˈmeɪli.ə/). Mammals are characterised by the presence ofmilk-producingmammary glands for feeding their young, a broadneocortex region of the brain,fur orhair, and threemiddle ear bones. These characteristics distinguish them fromreptiles andbirds, from which their ancestorsdiverged in theCarboniferous Period over 300 million years ago. Around 6,640extant species of mammals have been described and divided into 27orders. The study of mammals is calledmammalogy.

The largest orders of mammals, by number ofspecies, are therodents,bats, andeulipotyphlans (includinghedgehogs,moles andshrews). The next three are theprimates (includinghumans,monkeys andlemurs), theeven-toed ungulates (includingpigs,bovids andwhales), and theCarnivora (includingcats,dogs, andseals).

Mammals are the only living members ofSynapsida; thisclade, together withSauropsida (reptiles and birds), constitutes the largerAmniota clade. Early synapsids are referred to as "pelycosaurs." The more advancedtherapsids became dominant during theGuadalupian. Mammals originated fromcynodonts, an advanced group of therapsids, during the LateTriassic to EarlyJurassic. Mammals achieved their modern diversity in thePaleogene andNeogene periods of theCenozoic era, after theextinction of non-avian dinosaurs, and have been thedominant terrestrial animal group from 66 million years ago to the present.

The basic mammalian body type isquadrupedal, with most mammals using fourlimbs forterrestrial locomotion; but in some, the limbs are adapted for lifeat sea,in the air,in trees orunderground. Thebipeds have adapted to move using only the two lower limbs, while the rear limbs ofcetaceans and thesea cows are mere internalvestiges. Mammals range in size from the 30–40 millimetres (1.2–1.6 in)bumblebee bat to the 30 metres (98 ft)blue whale—possibly the largest animal to have ever lived. Maximum lifespan varies from two years for the shrew to 211 years for thebowhead whale. All modern mammals give birth to live young, except the five species ofmonotremes, which lay eggs. The most species-rich group is theviviparous placental mammals, so named for the temporary organ (placenta) used by offspring to draw nutrition from the mother duringgestation.

Most mammals areintelligent, with some possessing large brains,self-awareness, andtool use. Mammals can communicate and vocalise in several ways, including the production ofultrasound,scent marking,alarm signals,singing,echolocation; and, in the case of humans, complexlanguage. Mammals can organise themselves intofission–fusion societies,harems, andhierarchies—but can also be solitary andterritorial. Most mammals arepolygynous, but some can bemonogamous orpolyandrous.

Domestication of many types of mammals by humans played a major role in theNeolithic Revolution, and resulted infarming replacinghunting and gathering as the primary source of food for humans. This led to a major restructuring of human societies from nomadic to sedentary, with more co-operation among larger and larger groups, and ultimately the development of the firstcivilisations. Domesticated mammals provided, and continue to provide, power for transport and agriculture, as well as food (meat anddairy products),fur, andleather. Mammals are alsohunted and raced for sport, kept aspets andworking animals of various types, and are used asmodel organisms in science. Mammals have been depicted inart sincePaleolithic times, and appear in literature, film, mythology, and religion. Decline in numbers andextinction of many mammals is primarily driven by humanpoaching andhabitat destruction, primarilydeforestation. (Full article...)

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TheBlue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is amarine mammal belonging to the suborder ofbaleen whales. At up to 33 metres (110 ft) in length and 181 metrictonnes (200 short tons) or more in weight, it is believed to be thelargest animal to have ever lived, though some fragmentarydinosaur discoveries such as the colossalAmphicoelias fragillimus may challenge this long-held belief. Long and slender, the Blue Whale's body can be various shades of bluish-gray. There are at least three distinct subspecies:B. m. musculus of the north Atlantic and north Pacific,B. m. intermedia, of theSouthern Ocean andB. m. brevicauda (also known as thePygmy Blue Whale) found in theIndian Ocean andSouth Pacific Ocean.B. m. indica found in the Indian Ocean, may be another subspecies. As with other baleen whales, its diet consists mainly of smallcrustaceans known askrill, as well as small fish and squid. lue Whales were abundant in nearly all oceans until the beginning of the twentieth century. For over 40 years they were hunted almost toextinction bywhalers until protected by the international community in1966. A 2002 report estimated there were 5,000 to 12,000 Blue Whales worldwide located in at least five groups. More recent research into the Pygmy subspecies suggests this may be an underestimate. Before whaling the largest population was in the Antarctic, numbering approximately 239,000 (range 202,000 to 311,000). There remain only much smaller (around 2,000) concentrations in each of the North-EastPacific,Antarctic, andIndian Ocean groups. There are two more groups in the NorthAtlantic and at least two in theSouthern Hemisphere.

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Image 1
Common Raccoon
Photo credit:Darkone
TheCommon Raccoon (Procyon lotor) is a widespread, medium-sized,omnivorous mammal ofNorth America. It has black facial colorings around the eyes, and has a bushy tail with light and dark alternating rings. The coat is a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur. The characteristic eye colorings make the animal look like it is wearing a "bandit's mask," which has enhanced the animal's reputation for mischief, vandalism, and thievery.
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Image 2
Proboscis monkey
Photograph credit:Charles James Sharp
Theproboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) isendemic to the island ofBorneo, where it is found predominantly in coastal areas, near rivers and in swamp forests. It is perhaps the most aquatic of theprimates and is a fairly good swimmer, capable of swimming underwater; apart from this, it is largely arboreal. This image is a composite of three photographs and shows a proboscis monkey jumping between trees in Labuk Bay in the Malaysian state ofSabah.
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Image 3
Greater kudu
Photograph credit:Hans Hillewaert
Thegreater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is a species of woodlandantelope in the genusTragelaphus found throughout eastern and southern Africa. Despite occupying widespreadterritory, they are sparsely populated in most areas due to declining habitat, deforestation and poaching. The greater kudu is one of two species commonly known askudu, the other being thelesser kudu,T. imberbis. Greater kudus have a narrow body with long legs, and their coats can range from brown or bluish grey to reddish brown. They possess between four and twelve vertical white stripes along their torso. The head tends to be darker in colour than the rest of the body, and exhibits a small white chevron running between the eyes. Thehelical horns of adult males grow as the animal ages, reaching
'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000019-QINU`"'
2+1⁄2 rotations at about 6 years old.

This picture shows a greater kudu bull photographed near Groot Okevi inEtosha National Park, Namibia. Bulls weigh 190–270 kg (420–600 lb), up to a maximum of 315 kg (690 lb), and stand up to 160 cm (63 in) tall at the shoulder.
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Image 4
Hereford calf
Photo credit:John O'Neill
An unmarkedHerefordcalf. Herefordcattle (Bos taurus) are a widely usedbreed in temperate areas, mainly forbeef production. Originally fromHerefordshire,England, they are found in the temperate parts ofAustralia, theSouthwestern US,Western Canada,Argentina,Uruguay andNew Zealand.
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Image 5
Water Buffalo
Photo credit:Chmouel Boudjnah
TheWater Buffalo is a very largeungulate. It survives in the wild inIndia,Nepal,Bhutan andThailand; is very widespread as a domestic animal inAsia,South America.North Africa andEurope; and is feral in northernAustralia.
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Image 6
Southern plains grey langur
Photograph credit:Charles J. Sharp
Thesouthern plains gray langur (Semnopithecus dussumieri) is a species ofOld World monkey native to the Indian subcontinent. It is about 62 cm (24 in) tall and lives in groups in various forest habitats, feeding mainly on leaves, fruit and flowers in thecanopy, supplementing these with insects, gum, grasses, herbs and roots. The monkeys are considered sacred in India, and some are used by Hindu priests for religious purposes. They have adapted to living in close proximity to humans in urban settings; they are often fed by humans and accept cakes, millet, and other foods. The species is protected by law in India, but some are still persecuted for damaging crops, hunted for food and captured for pets.

This photograph of a female southern plains gray langur was taken inKanha Tiger Reserve, in the Indian state ofMadhya Pradesh. The park was created on 1 June 1955 and was designated atiger reserve in 1973.
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Image 7
Southern Elephant Seal
Photo:Serge Ouachée
Close-up of a juvenileSouthern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina), showing face and mouth detail. This species ofelephant seal is not only the most massivepinniped, but also the largest member of the orderCarnivora living today. It is found throughout thesubantarctic region.
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Image 8
Prairie dog
Photo credit:Aaron Siirila
A black-tailedprairie dog at theNational Zoo inWashington, D.C., looks out from a system ofburrows, characteristically scanning the horizon. On average, these rodents grow to between 12 and 16 inches (30 and 40 cm) long, including their short tails.
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Image 9
African elephant
Photo:Ikiwaner
The termAfrican elephant refers toelephants of the genusLoxodonta. Shown here is theAfrican bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), one of twoextant species and the largest living terrestrial animal, with males standing 3.2–4.0 m (10.5–13.1 ft) tall at the shoulder and weighing 4,700–6,048 kg (10,362–13,334 lb).
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Image 10
Koala
Photo:JJ Harrison
A femalekoala (Phascolarctos cinereus), anarboreal herbivorous marsupial native to coastal regions of eastern and southern Australia. The word "koala" comes from theDharuk wordgula. English-speaking settlers from the late 18th century first called it "koala bear" due to its similarity in appearance tobears, although they are not at all related. Instead, its closest living relative is thewombat.
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Image 11
Cat
Photo credit:Chmouel Boudjnah
Thecat is a smallfeline carnivorous mammal that has beendomesticated for several millennia. A male cat is usually called a tom cat, a female cat is called a queen. A young cat is called a kitten (as are baby rats, rabbits, hedgehogs and squirrels).
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Image 12
California Ground Squirrel
Photo credit:Howard Cheng
TheCalifornia Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi) is a common and easily observedground squirrel of thewestern United States and theBaja California peninsula. Their upper parts are mottled, the fur containing a mixture of gray, light brown and dusky hairs. Head and body are about 30 cm (12 in) long and the tail an additional 15 cm (5.9 in).
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Image 13
African bush elephant
Photograph:Muhammad Mahdi Karim
A femaleAfrican bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) inMikumi National Park, Tanzania. These herbivorous mammals are the largest land animals on Earth; males average 3.3 metres (11 ft) tall at the shoulders and 5.5 tonnes (12,000 lb) in weight, whereas females average 2.8 metres (9.2 ft) in height and 3.7 tonnes (8,200 lb) in weight. Owing to their great size, adult African bush elephants have no natural predators except for humans. Calves, however, are preyed on by lions and crocodiles.
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Image 14
Brown Spider Monkey
Photo credit:Tom Friedel
TheBrown Spider Monkey is acritically endangered New World monkey native toColombia andVenezuela. The blue eyes on this individual are uncommon among the species.
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Image 15
Roan antelope
Photograph credit:Charles James Sharp
Theroan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) is a species ofsavanna antelope found in western, central and southern Africa. Named for its reddish-brown coat, it has a black face with white patches around the eyes and the mouth, and a short erect mane of greyish brown hair extending from the back of the neck to the rump. This roan antelope, of thesubspeciesH. e. koba, was photographed in Senegal; the subspecies's range extends from Senegal to Benin in western Africa.
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Scientific classification

Kingdom→Animalia Phylum→Chordata Subphylum→Vertebrata Superclass→Tetrapoda (unranked)→Amniota Class→Mammalia

Subclasses and Infraclasses

Subclass †Allotheria*
SubclassPrototheria
SubclassTheria
- Infraclass †Trituberculata
- InfraclassMetatheria
- InfraclassEutheria

* Member of a haplogroup and not any of its subclades.
† Taxon is extinct.

Topics

Extantmammal orders

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
SubphylumVertebrata
(unranked)Amniota

Yinotheria

Australosphenida	Monotremata(platypuses and echidnas)

Theria

Metatheria
(Marsupial inclusive)

Ameridelphia	Paucituberculata(shrew opossums) Didelphimorphia(opossums)
Australidelphia	Microbiotheria(monitos del monte) Notoryctemorphia(marsupial moles) Dasyuromorphia(quolls and dunnarts) Peramelemorphia(bilbies and bandicoots) Diprotodontia(kangaroos, koalas, and relatives)

Eutheria
(Placental inclusive)

Atlantogenata

Xenarthra	Cingulata(armadillos) Pilosa(anteaters and sloths)
Afrotheria	Afrosoricida(tenrecs, golden moles, and otter shrews) Macroscelidea(elephant shrews) Tubulidentata(aardvarks) Hyracoidea(hyraxes) Proboscidea(elephants) Sirenia(dugongs and manatees)

Boreoeutheria

Laurasiatheria	Eulipotyphla(hedgehogs, shrews, moles and relatives) Chiroptera(bats) Pholidota(pangolins) Carnivora(dogs, cats and relatives) Perissodactyla(horses, zebras, donkeys, rhinoceroses and tapirs) Artiodactyla(pigs, camels, hippos, deer, buffalo, gazelles, giraffes, whales, dolphins and relatives)
Euarchontoglires	Rodentia(rats, mice, guinea pigs, squirrels, beavers, chinchillas, porcupines, capybaras and relatives) Lagomorpha(rabbits, hares and pikas) Scandentia(treeshrews) Dermoptera(colugos) Primates(lorises, lemurs, tarsiers, monkeys, apes (including humans) and relatives)

Subcategories

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Mammals

Mammals by century of formal description

Mammals by adaptation

Mammal anatomy

Mammal behavior

Mammals by classification

Reproduction in mammals

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