Mammalogy Exam 2 Study Guide (copy)

Order Rodentia

A mammal order with a cosmopolitan distribution; characterized by a single pair of ever-growing incisors.

Aplodontiidae

Family of mountain beavers with ancestral features, found in the Pacific Northwest.

Sciuridae

Family of squirrels, chipmunks, and maromts; diurnal herbivores with an arched skull profile. Found globally, absent from Australia and Antarctica.

Castoridae

Family of beavers, characterized by semiaquatic habits and a deep zygomasseteric groove. Distributed across the Northern Hemisphere.

Geomyidae

Family of gophers, known for their fossorial lifestyle and external cheek pouches. Found in North and Central America.

Heteromyidae

Family of kangaroo rats with desert adaptations; nocturnal herbivores or granivores. Inhabit southwestern North America and Central America.

Erethizontidae

Family of New World porcupines with barbed quills and a robust skull. Native to North and South America.

Echimyidae

Family of nutria, large capable swimmers native to South America.

Cricetidae

Second largest mammal family, comprised of New World mice and rats. Predominantly found in the Americas.

Muridae

Largest mammal family, includes Old World mice and rats, characterized by a medial masseter. Primarily distributed across the Old World (Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia).

Order Lagomorpha

Order known for having a single pair of upper and lower incisors and peg-like second incisors. Found globally, except for Antarctica and some oceanic islands.

Leporidae

Family of rabbits and hares; noted for skull fenestration and cursorial adaptations. Cosmopolitan distribution, naturally absent from Antarctica and most of Oceania.

Order Proboscidea

Order of elephants, characterized by their graviportal limbs and tusk-like incisors. Indigenous to Africa and South Asia.

Order Hyracoidea

Order of hyraxes, with ever-growing incisors and adaptations for herbivory. Found in Africa and the Middle East.

Order Sirenia

Order that includes manatees and dugongs, the only herbivorous aquatic mammals. Inhabit tropical and subtropical coastal marine and freshwater environments worldwide.

Order Eulipotyphla

Order that includes moles and shrews, known for being primarily insectivorous. Distributed globally, absent from Australia, New Zealand, and most of South America.

Soricidae

Family of shrews; characterized by small size and a single large hooked upper incisor. Found globally excluding Australia, New Zealand, South America, and Antarctica.

Talpidae

Family of moles known for their burrowing adaptations and small pinnae. Distributed across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Foregut Fermenters

Species with complex digestive systems including a four-chambered stomach.

Hindgut Fermenters

Species with simple stomachs and an enlarged cecum for digesting plant material.

Order Monotremata

Order of egg-laying mammals including echidnas and platypus, with cloacal openings. Endemic to Australia and New Guinea.

Order Metatheria

Group of mammals including marsupials, characterized by short gestation and long lactation. Primarily found in Australia, New Guinea, and the Americas.

Didelphimoria

Order including opossums, characterized by features like a prehensile tail. Primarily found in the Americas.

Paucituberculata

Order of shrew-opossums with no marsupium and a South American distribution.

Diprotodontia

Order of marsupials primarily herbivorous, including kangaroos and wombats. Endemic to Australia and New Guinea.

Family Macropodidae

Family within Diprotodontia that includes kangaroos and species adapted for jumping. Native to Australia and New Guinea.

Order Carnivora

Order of carnivorous mammals with c-shaped mandibular fossa and acute olfactory senses. Present globally, except for Antarctica and some remote oceanic islands.

Suborder Feliformia

Suborder within Carnivora that includes cats and mongooses. Widely distributed across Eurasia, Africa, and parts of North America.

Family Felidae

Family of true cats, known for their sharp carnassials and solitary hunting habits. Globally distributed, naturally absent from Australia (pre-human arrival) and Antarctica.

Suborder Caniformia

Suborder within Carnivora; generally more omnivorous than feliforms. Distributed worldwide.

Family Ursidae

Family of bears, characterized by their larger size and plantigrade locomotion. Found in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Order Cetartiodactyla

Includes both Artiodactyla and Cetacea; characterized by even-toed ungulates and marine mammals. Distributed worldwide in terrestrial and aquatic environments.

Family Suidae

Family of pigs, characterized by their long skull and opportunistic feeding. Native to Eurasia and Africa, widely introduced elsewhere.

Family Delphinidae

Family of dolphins and porpoises, known for their social behavior and intelligent communication. Inhabit oceans and some rivers worldwide.

What are key characteristics of mammals?

Vertebrates characterized by mammary glands, hair or fur, a neocortex, and endothermy.