Families of Class Mammalia Part 2: Eutherians II

Dwarf lemurs and mouse-lemurs

41

They are the smallest primates. Their eyes possess a tapetum lucidum, a light-reflecting layer that improves their night vision, and some species store fat at the hind legs and the base of the tail.

Aye-aye

1

Their third finger is much thinner than the others is used for extracting grubs and insects out of trees, and can reach the throat through a nostril and is used for picking their nose and eating mucus (mucophagy). The aye-aye has also evolved a sixth digit, a pseudothumb, to aid in gripping.

Ring-tailed lemur and allies

21

They are generally sociable animals, with female dominance, so that the females are sexually monomorphic and have priority access to food and tend to stay within their natal groups, while the males migrate.

Sportive lemurs

26

They are referred to as sportive or weasel lemurs supposedly because of their agility. They are mostly solitary and defend their territory against same sex intruders, being that the territories of males and females can overlap.

Woolly lemurs (avahis, indris and sifakas)

19

They have only four teeth in the toothcomb instead of the usual six. Females and males usually mate monogamously for many years.

Lorises, pottos and angwantibos

16

Unlike the closely related galagos, lorisids never jump. Slow lorises produce a secretion from their brachial gland between the axilla and elbow, that is licked and mixed with their saliva to form a toxin which may be used for defense.

Galagos, bush babies or nagapies

23

The name "bush baby" comes from either the animal's cries or its appearance, and also refers to a myth is used to scare children to stay indoors at night, most likely arising from the baby-like cry. It is also said in Nigeria that they make a nest of sticks, leaves or branches to die in, but endangerment of the species in has made this claim difficult to verify.

Tarsiers

14

Each eyeball can be larger than their entire brain, cand can move their heads 180 degrees in either direction, allowing for them to see 360 degrees around them. They have elongated tarsus bones and long hind feet, from which the animals get their name, which makes them morphologically specialized for vertical clinging and leaping.

*Marmosets and tamarins

49

Their social organization is unique among primates, and is called a "cooperative polyandrous group". This communal breeding system involves groups of multiple males and females, but only one female is reproductively active. Unlike other male primates, male callitrichids generally provide as much parental care (or more) as females.

*Capuchins and squirrel monkeys

29

They are arboreal animals that only rarely travel on the ground. They are generally small monkeys, ranging in size up to 56 cm and 3.9 kilograms. They are somewhat variable in form and coloration, but all have the wide, flat, noses typical of New World monkeys.

*Night monkeys, owl monkeys or douroucoulis

11

They have a varied repertoire of vocalisations and live in small family groups of a mated pair and their immature offspring. Night monkeys have monochromatic vision which improves their ability to detect visual cues at night. They constitute one of the few monkey species that are affected by the often deadly human malaria protozoan Plasmodium falciparum, making them useful as non-human primate experimental subjects in malaria research.

*Titis, sakis and uakaris

54

Their genera are distinct in appearance, but all share a common dental morphology marked by large, laterally splayed canine teeth separated from the incisors by a diastema. The incisors are also angled forward and the molars have low, crenulated occlusal surfaces as an adaptation to eating hard, heavily protected fruits.

*Howler monkeys, spider monkeys, woolly spider monkeys and woolly monkeys

26

They have long prehensile tails with a sensitive, almost hairless, tactile pad on the underside of the distal part. The tail is frequently used as 'fifth limb' while moving through the trees where they make their homes. They also have nails on their fingers and toes, enabling them to climb.

**Old World monkeys (baboons, red colobus,macaques, talapoin, guenon, colobus, douc, vervet, gelada, mangabey, langur, mandrill, surili, patas, and proboscis monkey)

138

They are the largest primate family, and are more closely related to apes than to New World monkeys. Most have tails, but they are not prehensile, and inhabit numerous environments: tropical rain forests, savannas, shrublands, and mountainous terrain.

**Lesser apes (gibbons)

20

Their wrists uniquely function like a ball-and-socket joint, allowing for the biaxial movement that makes them the fastest tree-dwelling nonflying mammal, since this greatly reduces the amount of energy needed in the upper arm and torso, while also reducing stress on the shoulder joint.

**Great apes (orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and humans)

8

They are all able to use their hands for gathering food or nesting materials, and tool use. They build complex nests in trees or on the ground to sleep in at night. The young are born helpless, and compared with most other mammals have a remarkably long adolescence.

Colugos or flying lemurs

2

Colugos raise their young in a manner similar to marsupials: newborn colugos are underdeveloped and spend the first six months of life clinging to their mother's belly, who curls her tail and folds her patagium into a warm, secure, quasipouch to protect and transport her young. Their closest evolutionary relatives are primates.

Treeshrews or banxrings

19

Unlike shrews, they possess a fairly large brain for their size.

Pen-tailed treeshrews

1

Research suggests that this family has evolved little change over millions of years, being considered the most primitive of all the treeshrews.

Cows, bisons, buffaloes, antelopes, sheep, goats, gazelles, impalas, wildebeests, saigas

143

Instead of the upper incisors, bovids have a thick and tough layer of tissue, called the dental pad, that provides a surface to grip grasses and foliage.

Musk deers

1

The musk deer family differs from cervids by lacking antlers, possessing only a single pair of teats, a pair of canine tusks and a musk gland.

(True) Deers, elks, muntjacs, reindeers, moose, barasinghas, pudus, huemuls

45

Though of a similar build, deer are strongly distinguished from antelopes by their antlers, which are temporary and regularly regrown unlike the permanent horns of bovids.

Giraffes, okapis

2

Okapis and giraffes look very different on first sight, but share a number of common features, including a long, dark-coloured tongue, lobed canine teeth, and horns covered in skin, called ossicones.

Pronghorns

1

The living pronghorn is a small ruminant mammal resembling an antelope.

Chevrotains or mouse-deers

10

Chevrotains are the smallest hoofed mammals in the world.

Dromedary camels, Bactrian camels, llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, guanacos

6

They do not have hooves; rather, they have two-toed feet with toenails and soft foot pads. Dromedary camels, bactrian camels, llamas, and alpacas are all induced ovulators.

Pigs, boars, warthogs, babirusas

19

The males possess a corkscrew-shaped penis, which fits into a similarly shaped groove in the female's cervix.

Peccaries

3

Mayans kept herds of them, using them in rituals and for food.[4] They are kept as pets in many countries, in addition to being raised on farms as a source of food.

Common hippos and pygmy hippos

2

They have three-chambered stomachs and walk on four toes on each foot. Their closest living relatives are the cetaceans.

Right whales and bowhead whales

2

They have exceptionally large heads in comparison with their bodies, reaching 40% of the total length in the case of the bowhead whale. They have short, broad, flippers, and lack a dorsal fin.

Blue whales, fin whales, northern minke whales

6

All members of the family have a series of longitudinal folds of skin that allow the mouth to expand immensely when feeding, permitting them to engorge great mouthfuls of food and water in a single gulp

Gray whales

1

More recent phylogenetic studies have found this family to be invalid, with its members nesting inside the Balaenopteridae.

Oceanic dolphins, orcas, pilot whales

34

Delphinids travel in large pods, which may number a thousand individuals in some species.

Narwhals and belugas

2

They have reduced teeth, with the beluga having numerous simple teeth, and the narwhal having only two teeth, one of which forms the tusks in males.

Porpoises

6

Porpoises are distinguished from dolphins by their flattened, spade-shaped teeth distinct from the conical teeth of dolphins, and lack of a pronounced beak, although some dolphins (e.g. Hector's dolphin) also lack a pronounced beak.

Sperm whales

1

The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest species of toothed whale, with adult bulls (males) growing to be about 15–18 m (49–59 ft) long, and weighing about 45–70 metric tons

Pygmy sperm whales and dwarf sperm whales

2

Kogiids are characterized by a "false gill slit" behind their eyes.

Amazon River dolphins

4

The South American river basins were flooded by marine waters, creating a new brackish habitat that allowed marine mammals to move into them. During the Miocene era, the sea level began to recede, trapping the mammals within the continent.

Yangtze river dolphins or baijis

2 (?)

It contains which is thought to be the first dolphin species driven to extinction due to the impact of humans.

Ganges river dolphins and Indus river dolphins

2

The Amazon river dolphin, Yangtze river dolphin, and La Plata dolphins were once thought to belong to Platanistidae

La Plata dolphins or franciscanas

1

It is a member of the river dolphin group and the only one that lives in the ocean and saltwater estuaries

Beaked whales

24

One of the least known groups of mammals because of their deep-sea habitat and apparent low abundance.

Horses, asses, onagers and zebras

7

They bare the main weight of their bodies on their central third toe, with the others becoming reduced and barely touching the ground, if at all. Equus is its sole surviving genus.

Tapirs

4

Tapirs often exhibit the flehmen response, a posture in which they raise their snouts and show their teeth to detect scents.

Rhinoceros

5

Their horns are made of keratin and develop from subcutaneous tissues, and they have a thick 1.5–5 cm protective skin formed from layers of collagen positioned in a lattice structure.

Dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, fennecs

34

The penis in male canids is supported by a baculum and contains a structure called the bulbus glandis, which creates a copulatory tie that lasts for up to an hour during mating.

Bears, pandas

8

Unlike most other land carnivorans, bears are plantigrade. They distribute their weight toward the hind feet, which makes them look lumbering when they walk.

Red pandas

1

The forepaws possess a "false thumb", which is an extension of a wrist bone, the radial sesamoid found in many carnivorans.

Skunks and stink badgers

12

They are noted for the great development of their anal scent glands, which they use to deter predators.

Raccoons, ringtails, cacomistles, coatis, kinkajous, olingos, and olinguitos

14

Due to their omnivorous diet, procyonids have lost some of the adaptations for flesh-eating found in their carnivorous relatives. While they do have carnassial teeth, these are poorly developed in most species, especially the raccoons.

Weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks and wolverines

70

Most mustelid reproduction involves embryonic diapause: the embryo does not immediately implant in the uterus, but remains dormant for some time with no development. As a result, the normal gestation period is extended, sometimes up to a year. This allows the young to be born under favorable environmental conditions.

Eared seals, sea lions

15

They have small but visible external ear flaps (pinnae), which distinguishes them from the true seals, alongside with have the ability to turn their hind limbs forward and walk on all fours, making them far more maneuverable on land.

Walruses

1

The only living species is the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus). In the past, however, the group was much more diverse, and includes more than a dozen fossil genera.

(True) Seals

18

They are more streamlined than fur seals and sea lions, so they can swim more effectively over long distances. However, because they cannot turn their hind flippers downward, they are very clumsy on land, having to wriggle with their front flippers and abdominal muscles.

Cats, tigers, lions, lynxes, jaguar, cheetahs

41

Their tongue is covered with horny papillae, which rasp meat from prey and aid in grooming. They can purr during both phases of respiration, and have a vomeronasal organ in the roof of the mouth, allowing them to "taste" the air.

African palm civet

1

It has two sets of scent glands on the lower abdomen and between the third and fourth toes on each foot, which secrete a strong smelling substance used to mark territory and in mating.

Linsangs

2

The coat pattern of the Asiatic linsang is distinct, consisting of large spots that sometimes coalesce into broad bands on the sides of the body; the tail is banded transversely.

Civets, genets, binturongs, civets, oyans

33

Viverrids have four or five toes on each foot and half-retractile claws, a rough tongue with sharp prickles, and a gland beneath the anus.

Fossas, malagasy mongooses

10

Recent molecular studies indicate that the 10 living species of these Madagascar carnivorans evolved from one ancestor that is thought to have rafted over from mainland Africa 18–24 million years ago.

Meerkats, mongooses

23

Mongooses, much like goats, have narrow, ovular pupils. They're also one of at least four known mammalian taxa with independent mutations in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor that protect against snake venom. Their modified receptors prevent the snake venom α-neurotoxin from binding, uniquely by glycosylation.

Hyenas, strandwolves, aardwolves

4

Males in most hyena species are larger than females, though the spotted hyena is exceptional, as it is the female of the species that outweighs and dominates the male. Also, unlike other hyenas, the female spotted hyena's external genitalia closely resembles that of the male.

Pangolins

8

Pangolin bodies are covered in keratinous scales that act as body armor. Their venter, the abdomen area, is covered in hair. They have large claws that they use for digging into termite mounds and ant hills. Their scales also protect them from ant and termite bites. They have extremely long tongues, over 38 cm long, which are sticky so that they can efficiently take up as many ants/termites as possible.

Fruit bats, megabats, flying foxes

197

Megabats are the only family of bats incapable of laryngeal echolocation.

Mouse-tailed bats

6

These are small bats with very slim limbs and a long, thin, hairless tail, which is nearly the same length as the rest of the body and not connected to the patagium.

Kitti's hog-nosed bat or bumblebee bat*

1

Kitti's hog-nosed bat is the smallest species of bat and arguably the world's smallest mammal.

False vampire bats, ghost bats, heart-nosed bats

6

They have a wide membrane between the hind legs, or uropatagium, but no tail.

Orange nose-leafed bats

7

The genus Rhinonicteris is unusual in becoming endemic to Australia, whereas the other genera are found in Africa and Madagascar, and the fossil record supports the terrestrial radiation of the family. One hypothesis is they may have aerially dispersed to new regions by island hopping, a proposed explanation for Allodapine bees that dispersed from Africa to Australia during the same epochs.

Old World leaf-nosed bats, roundleaf bats and trident bats

70

The noseleaf consists of fleshy protrusions on top of a U-shaped rhinarium (the wet surface surrounding the nostrils). They have an erect transverse leaf within the noseleaf as well as smaller accessory leaflets, and the common name of many genera corresponds to the shape of the noseleaf.

Horseshoe bats

106

Their taxonomy is complex, as genetic evidence shows the likely existence of many cryptic species, as well as species recognized as distinct that may have little genetic divergence from previously recognized taxa.

Slit-faced or hollow-faced bats

16

The skull is distinguished by a characteristic interorbital concavity, externally connected to a long slit that runs down the centre of their faces from between the eyes to the nostrils, and probably assists in echolocation. Their tails end in a T-shape, formed from cartilage, a unique feature among mammals.

Sac-winged or sheath-tailed bats

54

The signals of some species are unusual in being audible to humans.

Sucker-footed Bats

2

Is unique as the only family of bats presently endemic to Madagascar. They are named for the presence of small cups on its wrists and ankles.

New Zealand short-tailed bats

2 (?)

They spend much of the time on the ground, instead of flying, and are unique in having the ability to fold their wings into a leathery membrane when not in use. They also eat pollen and nectar, which they are able to collect with their extensible tongues.

Disk-winged bats

5

The name comes from the suction cups found at the base of the thumb and under the heel of these animals, similar to those found in sucker-footed bats. These structures help them to cling smooth surfaces.

Smokey Bats

2

The species are distinguished by their reduced or functionless thumbs, enclosed by the wing membranes, and their broad, funnel-shaped ears.

Greater and lesser bulldog bats (or fishing bats)

2

The species of lesser bulldog bats are insectivorous, and while the greater bulldog bats also eat insects, their chief food is fish. They use their echolocation to pinpoint the ripples they make on the surfaces of water.

Mustached bats, ghost-faced bats, and naked-backed bats

13

They are distinguished by the presence of a leaf-like projection from their lips, instead of the nose-leaf found in many other bat species. In some species, the wing membranes join over the animal's back, making it appear hairless.

Leaf-nosed bats, common vampire bats, Honduran white bats

180

Both the scientific and common names derive from their often large, lance-shaped noses, greatly reduced in some of the nectar- and pollen-feeders. Because these bats echolocate nasally, this "nose-leaf" is thought to serve some role in modifying and directing the echolocation call.

Funnel-eared bats

10

They are slender bats with unusually long tails and, as their name suggests, funnel-shaped ears.

Free-tailed bats

110

Free-tailed bats are so named because the end of their tail visibly extends beyond the edge of the tail membrane.The Mexican free-tailed bat can reach speeds up to 160 km/h, making it by far the fastest mammal on earth.

Bent-winged or long winged bats

40

The common name bent-winged bat refers to their ability to fold back an exceptionally long third finger when the wings are folded. Unlike other bats, they lack a tendon-locking mechanism in their toes.

Wing-gland bats (Lesueur's hairy bat and Angolan hairy bats)

2

They have peculiar thickened glands on its wings with three on each wing.

Vesper bats, common Bats

+300

All species are carnivorous and most are insectivores, with some representatives that catch fish or small passerine birds in flight. They rely mainly on echolocation to navigate and obtain food, but they lack elaborate nose appendages since their ultrasound signal is usually produced orally and not nasally.

Hedgehogs and gymnures or moonrats

17

All but one species have five toes in each foot, in some cases with strong claws for digging. Hedgehogs possess hair modified into sharp spines to form a protective covering, while gymnures have only normal hair. Most species have anal scent glands, but these are far better developed in gymnures, which can have a powerful odor.

(True) Shrews

+300

Some species of shrews are venomous, and the compounds in their venom may be potentially useful in the treatment of high blood pressure, neuromuscular diseases and migraines, ovarian cancer. Also, along with the bats and toothed whales, some species of shrews use echolocation.

Moles, shrew moles and desmans

42

They have poor eyesight, but only a few are truly blind, and absent or very small external ears, since they rely primarily on their sense of touch, having sensory vibrissae on their faces, legs, and tails. Unusually, the penis of talpids points backwards, and they have no scrotum.

Solenodons

2

Solenodons have venomous saliva that flows from modified salivary glands in the mandible through grooves on the second lower incisors, and two teats on the female, almost on the buttocks of the animal.