Mammalogy Orders Test

Order Chiroptera

bats

•only flying mammal (volant)

•mostly small (< 5 g to 1.5 kg)

•wing composed of hand with membrane (digits 2-5 greatly elongate)

•worldwide distribution

Suborder Megachiroptera

•large eyes and well developed vison

•simple ears without tragus •do not use echolocation, cannot fly in total darkness

Suborder Microchiroptera (945 species)

•eyes usually small •ears highly variable, most with tragus •echolocation is primary means of orientation and prey capture

FAMILY PHYLLOSTOMIDAE

Leaf-nose bats Wide array of food habits; insectivorous, carnivorous, nectivorous, frugivorous Forelimbs for flight Teeth modified to fit food habits Echolocation, but variable

FAMILY MORMOOPIDAE (1 species)

Leaf-chinned bats Insectivorous Echolocate colonial

FAMILY DESMODONTIDAE (1 species)

Vampire bat Sanguinivorous Able to walk

FAMILY VESPERTILIONIDAE

Worldwide, the most widespread family in the world Common family in Utah and most of N. America Considerable variation in life histories; some are colonial and some are solitary; some are migratory, others not; some mate in spring, others in fall; some live in nursing colonies, others are solitary Insectivorous Echolocate

-Big Brown Bat -Red Bat

FAMILY MOLOSSIDAE

Free-tailed bats

Insectivorous

Echolocate

Large colonies (105 - 106 ) in caves in southwest US

Guano deposits

Mexican Free Tailed Bat

ORDER PRIMATES

lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans (519 species)

•usually arboreal, some are terrestrial •plantigrade

•usually nail present, some with claws

•tail long and prehensile in some, absent in others

•braincase relatively large in some

•sight well developed

•sense of smell reduced

•tropical and subtropical in both new and old world, humans are cosmopolitan

FAMILY HOMINIDAE (1 species)

Humans

ORDER CARNIVORA

dogs, bears, pandas, raccoons, weasels, mongooses, hyenas, cats, seals, sea lions, and walrus (309 species)

•4 - 5 digits

•terrestrial, arboreal, amphibious, and aquatic •wide variety of forms

•teeth heterodont or homodont (tusks = upper canines in walrus)

•baculum present

•worldwide distribution

-Carnassial teeth

FAMILY FELIDAE

Cats Rostrum shortened to the extreme of Carnivora

Claws retractile

Not as cursorial as canids, stalk and short run Carnassials well-developed

FAMILY CANIDAE

Wolves, dogs, foxes, jackals

Long rostrum with large nasal chamber

Well-developed sense of smell

Claws are not retractile

Most cursorial of the carnivores

Primarily carnivorous, but opportunist which leads to omnivorous diet

FAMILY URSIDAE (3 species)

Bears

Carnassial pair is less-developed

Plantigrade and ambulatory rather than cursorial

Primarily carnivorous, but omnivorous

Winter inactivity, but not true hibernation

FAMILY PROCYONIDAE

Raccoon, ringtail, coati Much more of an omnivore than a carnivore Shearing of carnassial pair almost lost Much greater climbing ability that other families in Carnivora Long tail for balance

FAMILY MEPHITIDAE

skunks Usually small and short-legged mostly omnivorous Carnassials well-developed, except in otters Anal scent glands well-developed Terrestrial

FAMILY MUSTELIDAE

Marten, ermine, fisher, weasel, mink, wolverine, badgers, otters Usually small and short-legged mostly carnivorous Carnassials well-developed, except in otters Anal scent glands well-developed Terrestrial to nearly aquatic

ORDER DERMOPTERA

flying lemurs or colugos (2 species) •totally arboreal (seldom if ever on the ground) •gliding forms (glissant) •large eyes •5 digits with large curved claws •long limbs and tail •furred patagium •first two lower incisors widened and pectinate •nocturnal •Oriental region (Burma and some islands)

ORDER SCANDENTIA

tree shrews (23 species) •arboreal forms resembling small, long-nosed squirrels •large eyes •5 digits with strongly recurved claws •long tail, usually furred •complete auditory bullae and zygomatic arch •mostly diurnal •Oriental region (India to Philippines)

ORDER MACROSCELIDEA

elephant shrews (20 species) •terrestrial forms •large eyes and ears •very long snout that is somewhat moveable •relatively long limbs (specialized for rapid movement relative to insectivora) •complete auditory bullae and zygomatic arch •diurnal •Ethiopian region

FAMILY SORICIDAE

Shrews Upper middle incisors elongated for capture of invertebrate prey Snout long and thin also prey capture Ears have small external pinnae Very small eyes Generally live in litter, under logs, or others burrows, not fossorial

FAMILY TALPIDAE

Moles Front feet broadened for digging Head and forelimbs modified for burrowing Ears usually lack external pinnae Small eyes Fur is thick soft and velvety

ORDER EULIPOTYPHLA

Moles, shrews, and solenodons (557 species) •small weak eyes and reduced pinnae in most •teeth heterodont, often with large incisors •no auditory bullae •testes never scrotal •baculum in some •2 genera have venomous saliva •echolocation present in some species •Worldwide except Australia and southern Neotropical regions

ORDER AFROSORICIDA

Tenrecs and golden moles (55 species) •small weak eyes and reduced pinnae in most •teeth heterodont, often with large incisors •no auditory bullae •testes never scrotal •baculum in some •2 genera have venomous saliva •echolocation present in some species •Ethiopian region

ORDER DIPROTODONTIA

kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, koala, and others (158 species) •wide array of shapes, sizes, and food habits due to the number of forms •Australian region

ORDER NOTORYCTEMORPHIA

marsupial mole (2 species) •fossorial •eyes are covered by skin and nonfunctional (vestigial) •reduced pinnae •enlarged claws •marsupium partly divided into 2 areas •Australian region (Australia only)

ORDER PERAMELEMORPHIA

bandicoots and bilbies (30 species) •snout elongate and pointed •46-48 teeth •hind limbs longer than fore limbs •tail often long but not prehensile •marsupium present (opens rearward) •Australian region

ORDER DASYUROMORPHIA

Marsupial mice and cats, Tasmanian wolf, Tasmanian devil, and numbat (88 species) •42-46 teeth •plantigrade in most; digitigrade in cursorial forms •tail long and furred, not prehensile •marsupium often absent •Australian region

ORDER MICROBIOTHERIA

3 species Dromiciops gliroides (Monito del monte) •tail accumulates fat for hibernation (moderately prehensile) •50 teeth (primitive number for marsupials) •marsupium present •Neotropical region (isolated in forested areas of Andes Mountains)

ORDER PAUCITUBERCULATA

hrew or rat opossums (7 species) •resemble shrews with elongate heads and reduced eyes •feet unspecialized •tail long but not prehensile •no marsupium

FAMILY DIDELPHIDAE

Opossums Small incisors, long rostrum, narrow braincase, prominent sagittal crest First digit of hid foot is opposable Long, naked, scaly, prehensile tail Marsupium

ORDER DIDELPHIMORPHIA

opossums (127 species) •most generalized marsupials •50 teeth (primitive number for marsupials) •opposable and clawless hallux •marsupium is present to absent •tail often long and prehensile •Neotropical and Nearctic regions

Subclass Prototheria ORDER MONOTREMATA

echidnas and duck-billed platypus (5 species) •oviparous (lay shell covered egg) •cloaca (common tract to digestion, excretion, and reproduction) •no teeth in adults •no external pinnae •epipubic bone present •venomous spine on hind foot in males •mammary glands with out nipples •Australian region

ORDER DIPROTODONTIA

kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, koala, and others (158 species) •wide array of shapes, sizes, and food habits due to the number of forms •Australian region

ORDER NOTORYCTEMORPHIA

marsupial mole (2 species) •fossorial •eyes are covered by skin and nonfunctional (vestigal) •reduced pinnae •enlarged claws •marsupium partly divided into 2 areas •Australian region (Australia only)

ORDER PERAMELEMORPHIA

bandicoots and bilbies (30 species) •snout elongate and pointed •46-48 teeth •hind limbs longer than fore limbs •tail often long but not prehensile •marsupium present (opens rearward) •Australian region

ORDER DASYUROMORPHIA

Marsupial mice and cats, Tasmanian wolf, Tasmanian devil, and numbat (88 species) •42-46 teeth •plantigrade in most; digitigrade in cursorial forms •tail long and furred, not prehensile •marsupium often absent •Australian region

ORDER MICROBIOTHERIA

3 species Dromiciops gliroides (Monito del monte) •tail accumulates fat for hibernation (moderately prehensile) •50 teeth (primitive number for marsupials) •marsupium present •Neotropical region (isolated in forested areas of Andes Mountains)

ORDER PAUCITUBERCULATA

shrew or rat opossums (7 species) •resemble shrews with elongate heads and reduced eyes •feet unspecialized •tail long but not prehensile •no marsupium

ORDER DIDELPHIMORPHIA

opossums (127 species) •most generalized marsupials •50 teeth (primitive number for marsupials) •opposable and clawless hallux •marsupium is present to absent •tail often long and prehensile •Neotropical and Nearctic regions

FAMILY DIDELPHIDAE

Opossums Small incisors, long rostrum, narrow braincase, prominent sagittal crest First digit of hid foot is opposable Long, naked, scaly, prehensile tail Marsupium

Subclass Prototheria ORDER MONOTREMATA

echidnas and duck-billed platypus (5 species) •oviparous (lay shell covered egg) •cloaca (common tract to digestion, excretion, and reproduction) •no teeth in adults •no external pinnae •epipubic bone present •venomous spine on hind foot in males •mammary glands with out nipples •Australian region

Characteristics of mammals:

- Hair

- 4-chambered heart

- enucleate erythrocytes

- mammary glands

- muscular diaphragm

- Unique skull single dentary bone three oscicles of the middle ear two occipital condyles

Egg Parts

Chordate

notochord, dorsal hollow nerve chord, post-anal tail, pharyngeal slits

FAMILY OTARIIDAE

Eared seals and sea lions

Small external ear

Better adapted for land than other pinnepeds, hind

flippers can be brought under body and used for

terrestrial locomotion

FAMILY PHOCIDAE

Earless seals

No external ear

Hind flippers useless on land

FAMILY ODOBENIDAE (1 species)

Walrus

Large tusks useful in gathering mollusks from sea floor

Order Hyracoidea

hyraxes or dassies (6 species)

•2 long, continuously growing upper incisors

•4 chisel-like lower incisors

•4 digits on forelimbs (1 nonfunctional), 3 digits on hindlimbs

•hooves with soft elastic pads on each functional digit

•Ethiopian region

ORDER PROBOSCIDEA

elephants

•Comprised of 3 species

•largest terrestrial mammals

•pillar like limbs (graviportal)

•upper incisors are ever-growing tusks

•no canines or lower incisors

•air cells in skull to reduce weight and for muscle attachment

•Oriental and Ethiopian regions

ORDER SIRENIA

dugong, manatees, sea cow

•comprised of 5 species

•aquatic from coastal marine to riverine

•only aquatic herbivore

•external nares high on skull

•forelimbs paddlelike, hindlimbs vestigial in muscle

•tail is an externally flattened fluke

•tropical coastal regions

FAMILY TRICHECHIDAE (1 species)

Manatees

Only completely aquatic forms that are herbivorous

Live in coastal waters; Florida

ORDER PERISSODACTYLA

horses, asses, zebras, tapirs, and rhinos (8 species)

•terrestrial, adapted to unguligrade cursorial locomotion

•odd-toed ungulates

•weight is borne on middle digit which is the largest

•cannot bend hindlimbs enough to get up hindfeet first while laying on ground

•skull elongate

•premolars and molars similar in size and shape

•diastema between front and cheek teeth

•no horn or antlers; rhino horn

•simple stomach

•Ethiopian, Oriental, Palearctic, Nearactic, and Neotropical regions

FAMILY EQUIDAE (2 introduced species)

Feral horses and burros in SW US

Cursorial

Herbivore (grass)

Teeth adapted to wear from grass as a food—high

silica content

ORDER ARTIODACTYLA

pigs, hippos, camels, deer, giraffe, cattle, bison, pronghorn,

dolphins, and whales (362 species)

•terrestrial; adapted to unguligrade cursorial locomotion

•even-toed ungulates

•weight is borne on the third and fourth digits

•can stand hindfeet first when laying on ground

•molars and premolars not as massive as in PERISSODACTYLA•simple to complex stomach

•Ethiopian, Oriental, Palearctic, Neararctic, and Neotropical

FAMILY SUIDAE (1 introduced species)

Feral hogs or wild boar

Omnivores

No horns or antlers

Tusks from upper canines

FAMILY TAYASSUIDAE (1 species)

Javelinas or peccaries

Smaller than suids

Omnivores but more herbivorous than suids

No horns or antlers

Tusks

FAMILY CERVIDAE

Wapati, deer, moose, caribou

Antlers that shed annually

Herbivores, browsers more than grazers

May form large migratory herds during certain times of year

Economically important

FAMILY BOVIDAE

Bison, mountain goat, muskox, mountain sheep

Permanent horns

Herbivorous, mostly grazers

Cursorial in part due to their evolution in grasslands

Teeth adapted to grazing habits

FAMILY ANTILOCAPRIDAE (1 species)

Evolved in and endemic to North America

Pronghorn

Horns branch and keratin sheath is shed annually

The fastest of the cursorial mammals in North America

SUBORDER WHIPPIMORPHA

hippos, whales, dolphins, porpoises, and narwal

•aquatic with fusiform bodies

•hindlimbs absent, but vestigal pelvic girdle present

•forelimbs paddle-shaped but limb elements not externally visible•worldwide marine, some species riverine

PARVORDER MYSTICETI (baleen whales)

•2 external narial openings on top of head (blowholes)

•baleen (cornified epethelium) in place of teeth

•planktivorous (do not echolocate)

PARVORDER ODONTOCETI (toothed whales)

•single narial opening on top of head

•teeth present, echolocate

FAMILY BALAENOPTERIDAE

Blue whale, humpback whale, minke whale

The largest whales (up to 140,000 kg and 27 m)

Baleen

Blue whale can eat 3,600 kg of krill per day

FAMILY DELPHINIDAE

Dolphins and orca

teeth

generally larger than porpoises

usually have elongate rostrum or beak

wave-shaped dorsal fin

carnivorous

FAMILY PHOCOENIDAE

Porpoises

smaller than dolphins (usually < 2m)

lack rostrum or beak

triangular-shaped dorsal fin

carnivorous

ORDER CINGULATA

Armadillos (22 species)

•no incisors or canines

•cheek teeth rudimentary or absent

•no enamel on teeth

•extra articulation on lumbar vertebrae to strengthen lumbar region

•Neotropical and Nearctic regions

FAMILY DASYPODIDAE (1 species)

Armadillos

Few to many teeth

Homodont

Horny epidermis over bony plates

Identical quadruplets

ORDER PILOSA

Sloths and American anteaters (16 species)

•no incisors or canines

•cheek teeth rudimentary or absent

•no enamel on teeth

•extra articulation on lumbar vertebrae to strengthen lumbar region

•Neotropical region

ORDER PHOLIDOTA

pangolins or scaly anteaters (8 species)

•terrestrial and fossorial

•horny scales on neck, back, and tail (rolls into a "ball" for defense)

•strong limbs and large claws

•long, thin snout with protractile tongue

•no teeth in adults

•muscular stomach, swallows pebbles to grind food

•Oriental and Ethiopian regions

ORDER TUBULIDENTATA

aardvark (1 species)

•terrestrial and fossorial

•strong limbs and large claws (digs into ant and termite mounds)

•long, thin snout with protractile tongue

•no incisors or canines

•20 cheek teeth but all remain in gums

•teeth columnar with dentine surrounding pulp

•large burrow systems

•only eutherian order with a single species

•Ethiopian region

ORDER RODENTIA

rats, mice, squirrels, beaver, porcupine, and others

•most common order of mammals - 31 Families

•terrestrial, amphibious, fossorial, arboreal, saltatorial, gliding•skull shaped for gnawing

• complex skull musculature for gnawing

•2 upper and 2 lower chisel-like incisors (grow continuously)

•enamel only on front of incisors

•long diastema between incisors and cheek teeth (no canines)

•limb structure and tail length highly variable

•worldwide

FAMILY APLODONTIDAE (1 species)

Mountain beaver

Most primitive living rodent

Size of a small rabbit

Terrestrial colonies in moist stream edges

Herbivorous, hay piles

FAMILY ERETHIZONTIDAE (1 species)

Porcupine

Quills

Herbivore, apical meristem and cambium layer of

conifers but do graze other plants

FAMILY CRICETIDAE

Mice, rats, voles, lemmings, muskrats

Mouse-like forms with long tail and generalized limbsTeeth fit food habits

Exhibit herbivory, granivory, insectivory

Terrestrial, amphibious, scansorial, arboreal, fossorial

Population cycles of 3-4 years in lemmings and

northern voles

FAMILY MYOCASTORIDAE (1 introduced species)

Nutria

Amphibious form introduce into the southeast area of

the US

Herbivorous on terrestrial vegetation

Pest

Crop, irrigation, and waterfowl habitat damage

Resembles a beaver in habits but smaller with long,

round tail

FAMILY GEOMYIDAE

Pocket gophers

External, fur-lined cheek pouches

Fossorial with incisors that extend forward and lips

that close behind teeth

Powerful claws and strong forelimbs

Herbivorous above and below ground

FAMILY HETEROMYIDAE

Kangaroo rats and pocket mice

Adapted to arid and semi-arid habitats, mostly SW USSome can survive without water

Granivorous

Bipedal to quadrapedal

Bipedal forms are saltatorial (some ricochetal) with

large hndfeet and long tail

External, fur-lined cheek pouches

FAMILY DIPODIDAE

Jumping mice

Coniferous to deciduous forests, wet meadows

Very long tail and long feet

Herbivorous, granivorous, and insectivorous

FAMILY SCIURIDAE

Chipmunks, marmots, ground squirrels, prairie dogs,

tree squirrels, flying squirrels

Generalized body with long tail in most, but short in

some fossorial types

Diurnal

Some forms hibernate

Gliding in Glaucomys

FAMILY CASTORIDAE (1 species)

Beaver, largest North American rodent

Amphibious

Herbivore

Specializations for gnawing and carrying branches

under water

Broad, flat tails

ORDER LAGOMORPHA

pikas, rabbits, and hares (108 species)

•terrestrial with cursorial or saltitorial (jumping) mode of locomotion•skull resembles that of rodents

•4 upper and 2 lower incisors

•second upper incisor on each side is peglike and directly behind first incisor

•incisors grow continuously

•long diastema between incisors and cheek teeth (no canines)

•hindlimbs longer than forelimbs

•tibia and fibula (lower hindlimb) fused for strength

•very short tail

•worldwide except islands and Australian region*

FAMILY OCHOTONIDAE (2 species)

Pikas

Tallus slopes in mountains of North America

Short, rounded ears and no tail, small relative to

Leporidae

Build hay piles for winter

FAMILY LEPORIDAE

Hares and rabbits

Cursorial

Hindlimbs longer than forelimbs, relatively long ears Herbivorous