Mammals Portal | Britannica

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href="/browse/Science">Science</a> </span> <span class="breadcrumb-item "> Mammals </span> </nav> <h1 class="font-serif mt-30 mb-20">Mammals</h1> <div class="font-serif grid"> <div class="col-sm-70 col-sm-offset-15"> Mammals are distinguished by their ability to produce milk. The class Mammalia boasts tremendous diversity in form and habit, and different types of mammals can be wildly different from one another in physical appearance. Living kinds of mammals range in size from a bat weighing less than a gram to the largest animal that has ever lived, the blue whale, which reaches a length or more than 30 metres (100 feet) and a weight of 180 metric tons (nearly 200 short [U.S.] tons).</div> </div> <div class="text-hr text-hr-right border-navy font-12 text-uppercase font-weight-bold mt-30 ls-lg">Browse Subcategories</div> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 mt-20 category-snap-slider"> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex font-14 overflow-hidden text-nowrap mx-5"> <a href="/browse/Armadillos-Sloths-Anteaters" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Armadillos, Sloths & Anteaters</a> <a href="/browse/Bats-Flying-Lemurs-Squirrels" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Bats, Flying Lemurs & Flying Squirrels</a> <a href="/browse/Carnivores" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Carnivores</a> <a href="/browse/Cats" class="link-white mr-20 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aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <h2 class="label my-30">Mammals Encyclopedia Articles</h2> <div class="grid top g-10 mb-40"> <div class="col-33 col-sm-20 col-md-16 col-lg-10"> <div class="border shadow p-10 text-center "> <a class="font-weight-bold font-14 " href="/browse/Mammals/1">9 (-BIG</a> </div> </div> <div class="col-33 col-sm-20 col-md-16 col-lg-10"> <div class="border shadow p-10 text-center "> <a class="font-weight-bold font-14 " href="/browse/Mammals/2">BIL-CLE</a> </div> </div> <div class="col-33 col-sm-20 col-md-16 col-lg-10"> <div class="border shadow p-10 text-center "> <a class="font-weight-bold font-14 " href="/browse/Mammals/3">CLO-FLY</a> </div> </div> <div class="col-33 col-sm-20 col-md-16 col-lg-10"> <div class="border shadow p-10 text-center "> <a class="font-weight-bold font-14 " href="/browse/Mammals/4">FOS-HOR</a> </div> </div> <div class="col-33 col-sm-20 col-md-16 col-lg-10"> <div class="border shadow p-10 text-center "> <a class="font-weight-bold font-14 " href="/browse/Mammals/5">HOU-MAN</a> </div> </div> <div class="col-33 col-sm-20 col-md-16 col-lg-10"> <div class="border shadow p-10 text-center "> <a class="font-weight-bold font-14 " href="/browse/Mammals/6">MAN-PAL</a> </div> </div> <div class="col-33 col-sm-20 col-md-16 col-lg-10"> <div class="border shadow p-10 text-center "> <a class="font-weight-bold font-14 " href="/browse/Mammals/7">PAM-SAC</a> </div> </div> <div class="col-33 col-sm-20 col-md-16 col-lg-10"> <div class="border shadow p-10 text-center "> <a class="font-weight-bold font-14 " href="/browse/Mammals/8">SAI-TAH</a> </div> </div> <div class="col-33 col-sm-20 col-md-16 col-lg-10"> <div class="border shadow p-10 text-center "> <a class="font-weight-bold font-14 " href="/browse/Mammals/9">TAK-ZOR</a> </div> </div> </div> <h2 class="label my-30 text-center">Featured Articles</h2> <div class="js-pinboard grid gy-20"> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/platypus" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/03/155303-050-E2B63186/platypus-duckbill-waterways-Australia.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="platypus" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/platypus" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">platypus</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Platypus, (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), a small amphibious Australian mammal noted for its odd combination of primitive features and special adaptations, especially the flat, almost comical bill that early... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/whale" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/75637-050-B425E8F1/Killer-whale.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="killer whale (Orcinus orca)" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/whale" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">whale</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Whale, any of the larger species of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Cetacea. The term whale can be used in reference to any cetacean, including porpoises and dolphins, but in general it is applied... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/porcupine" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/93516-050-3FB4ABE4/Cape-porcupine.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis)" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/porcupine" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">porcupine</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Porcupine, any of several species of large, herbivorous, quill-bearing rodents active from early evening to dawn. All have short stocky legs, but their tails range from short to long, some being prehensile.... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/mammal" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/96/94596-050-D327EF86/polar-bear-cubs.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="polar bear and cubs" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/mammal" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">mammal</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Mammal, (class Mammalia), any member of the group of vertebrate animals in which the young are nourished with milk from special mammary glands of the mother. In addition to these characteristic milk glands,... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/elephant-mammal" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/98/94698-050-F64C03A6/African-savanna-elephant.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="African savanna elephant" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/elephant-mammal" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">elephant</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Elephant, (family Elephantidae), largest living land animal, characterized by its long trunk (elongated upper lip and nose), columnar legs, and huge head with temporal glands and wide, flat ears. Elephants... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/ruminant" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/67/92767-050-95002DCE/Giraffes.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="giraffe" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/ruminant" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">ruminant</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Ruminant, (suborder Ruminantia), any mammal of the suborder Ruminantia (order Artiodactyla), which includes the pronghorns, giraffes, okapis, deer, chevrotains, cattle, antelopes, sheep, and goats. Most... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/sea-otter" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/78/3278-004-90D1CE49/Sea-otter-crab.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="sea otter" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/sea-otter" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">sea otter</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Sea otter, (Enhydra lutris), completely marine otter species of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floating on its back, it opens mollusks by smashing them on a stone balanced on its chest.... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/llama" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/69/21969-138-2AB9BFCE/Llamas-pack-animals-shearing.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Examine how llamas serve as pack animals and wool sources in highlands of Bolivia, Chile, and Peru" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/llama" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">llama</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Llama, (Lama glama), domesticated livestock species, descendant of the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), and one of the South American members of the camel family, Camelidae (order Artiodactyla). The llama is primarily... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/blesmol" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/40/240440-050-D025763A/Naked-mole-rat-rodent.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="naked mole rat" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/blesmol" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">blesmol</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Blesmol, (family Bathyergidae), any of about a dozen species of burrowing African rodents that live in arid regions south of the Sahara (desert). Blesmols are highly adapted to a subterranean lifestyle.... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/wallaby" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/66/4966-050-62AAD84A/wallaby.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Bridled nail-tailed wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata)." class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/wallaby" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">wallaby</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Wallaby, any of several middle-sized marsupial mammals belonging to the kangaroo family, Macropodidae (see kangaroo). They are found chiefly in Australia. The 11 species of brush wallabies (genus Macropus,... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/vampire-bat" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/36/143536-050-58686375/Common-vampire-bat.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="common vampire bat" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/vampire-bat" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">vampire bat</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Vampire bat, (family Desmodontidae), any of three species of blood-eating bats, native to the New World tropics and subtropics. The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), together with the white-winged... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/armadillo-mammal" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/87/5887-050-3A67F288/nine-banded-armadillo.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)." class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/armadillo-mammal" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">armadillo</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Armadillo, (family Dasypodidae), any of various armoured mammals found mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America. Most of the 20 species inhabit open areas, such as grasslands,... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/meerkat" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/19/4519-004-57BC9C9C/Meerkat-suricate.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Meerkat, or suricate (Suricata suricatta)." class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/meerkat" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">meerkat</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Meerkat, (Suricata suricatta), burrowing member of the mongoose family (Herpestidae), found in southwestern Africa, that is unmistakably recognizable in its upright “sentinel” posture as it watches for... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/squirrel-monkey" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/86/9286-050-D870AFB6/Common-squirrel-monkey.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="common squirrel monkey" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/squirrel-monkey" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">squirrel monkey</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Squirrel monkey, (genus Saimiri), most abundant primate of riverside forests in the Guianas and the Amazon River basin, distinguished by a circle of black hairless skin around the nose and mouth set against... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/Chinese-water-deer" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/27/181427-050-EFAB0E88/Chinese-water-deer.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Chinese water deer" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/Chinese-water-deer" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">Chinese water deer</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Chinese water deer, (Hydropotes inermis), very small Asian deer of the family Cervidae (order Artiodactyla), native to fertile river bottoms in Korea and the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) valley in China.... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="adm my-30"></div> <div class="subcategories"> <h2 class="h4 mt-40 mb-30 font-weight-bold">Mammals Subcategories</h2> <div class="grid gy-30 mb-30"> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Armadillos-Sloths-Anteaters"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/62/142062-050-E51AEF0F/sloth-tree-branch.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="three-toed sloth" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Armadillos-Sloths-Anteaters" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Armadillos, Sloths & Anteaters</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/sloth">sloth</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/Glyptodon">Glyptodon</a> <div class="font-serif">extinct mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/pichi">pichi</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Bats-Flying-Lemurs-Squirrels"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel/resources/encyclopedia-placeholder.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="subcategory placeholder" class="col-100 mb-15" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Bats-Flying-Lemurs-Squirrels" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Bats, Flying Lemurs & Flying Squirrels</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Bat, (order Chiroptera), any member of the only group of mammals capable of flight. This ability, coupled with the ability to navigate at night by using a system of acoustic orientation (echolocation), has made the bats a highly diverse and populous order. More than 1,200 species are currently recognized, and many are enormously abundant. Observers have concluded, for example, that some 100 million female Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana) form summer nursery colonies in Texas, where they produce about 100 million young in five large caves. The adult males are equal in number to the females, though they do not all range as far north as Texas. Furthermore, this species is found throughout tropical America. Thus, one species alone numbers, at the very least, in the hundreds of millions.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/bat-mammal">bat</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/flying-lemur">flying lemur</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/vesper-bat">vesper bat</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Carnivores"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/52/152452-050-9C11AEDD/Cheetah-running.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="cheetah" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Carnivores" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Carnivores</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Carnivore, any member of the mammalian order Carnivora (literally, “flesh devourers” in Latin), comprising more than 270 species. In a more general sense, a carnivore is any animal (or plant; see carnivorous plant) that eats other animals, as opposed to a herbivore, which eats plants. Although the species classified in this order are basically meat eaters, a substantial number of them, especially among bears and members of the raccoon family, also feed extensively on vegetation and are thus actually omnivorous.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/dog">dog</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/tiger">tiger</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/wolf">wolf</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Cats"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/55/2155-050-604F5A4A/lion.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="A male lion" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Cats" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Cats & the Feline Family</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Cat, (Felis catus), also called house cat or domestic cat, domesticated member of the family Felidae, order Carnivora, and the smallest member of that family. Like all felids, domestic cats are characterized by supple low-slung bodies, finely molded heads, long tails that aid in balance, and specialized teeth and claws that adapt them admirably to a life of active hunting. Cats possess other features of their wild relatives in being basically carnivorous, remarkably agile and powerful, and finely coordinated in movement.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/puma-mammal-species">puma</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal species</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/longhair">longhair</a> <div class="font-serif">breed of cat</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/cheetah-mammal">cheetah</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Dogs"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/00/234900-050-0BEFCBC6/Parson-Jack-Russell-Terrier-dog-broken-coat.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="A fox-hunter" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Dogs" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Dogs & the Canine Family</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Dog, (Canis lupus familiaris), domestic mammal of the family Canidae (order Carnivora). It is a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) and is related to foxes and jackals. The dog is one of the two most ubiquitous and most popular domestic animals in the world (the cat is the other). For more than 12,000 years it has lived with humans as a hunting companion, protector, object of scorn or adoration, and friend.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/fox-mammal">fox</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/wolf">wolf</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/canine">canine</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Elephants-Manatees-Aardvarks"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/95/67395-004-C975D8AD/Features-dugongs-manatees.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Features of dugongs and manatees compared." class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Elephants-Manatees-Aardvarks" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Elephants, Manatees & Aardvarks</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Although aardvarks look like anteaters, they are actually related to elephants, hyraxes, and dugongs and manatees; all belong to a group of primitive ungulates called uranotherians. The split between this ancestral African stock and that leading to the ungulate, carnivore, xenarthran, and cetacean orders occurred as much as 90 million years ago.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/sirenian">sirenian</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/proboscidean">proboscidean</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/aardvark">aardvark</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Hoofed-Mammals"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/32/122932-050-43EE55D3/Elk.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="elk" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Hoofed-Mammals" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Hoofed Mammals</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Artiodactyl, any member of the mammalian order Artiodactyla, or even-toed ungulates, which includes the pigs, peccaries, hippopotamuses, camels, chevrotains, deer, giraffes, pronghorn, antelopes, sheep, goats, and cattle. It is one of the larger mammal orders, containing about 200 species, a total...</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/reindeer">reindeer</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/artiodactyl">artiodactyl</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/zebra">zebra</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Marsupials"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/81288-050-3084149B/Phascolomis-Vombatus-ursinus.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Common wombat Phascolomis, or Vombatus ursinus" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Marsupials" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Marsupials</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Marsupial, any of more than 250 species belonging to the infraclass Metatheria (sometimes called Marsupialia), a mammalian group characterized by premature birth and continued development of the newborn while attached to the nipples on the mother’s lower belly. The pouch—or marsupium, from which the group takes its name—is a flap of skin covering the nipples. Although prominent in many species, it is not a universal feature. In some species the nipples are fully exposed or are bounded by mere remnants of a pouch. The young remain firmly attached to the milk-giving teats for a period corresponding roughly to the latter part of development of the fetus in the womb of a placental mammal (eutherian).</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/koala">koala</a> <div class="font-serif">marsupial</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/opossum-marsupial-group">opossum</a> <div class="font-serif">marsupial group</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/kangaroo">kangaroo</a> <div class="font-serif">marsupial</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Placental-Mammals"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/2297-050-0E700852/manatees.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus)" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Placental-Mammals" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Placental Mammals</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Placental mammal, (infraclass Eutheria), any member of the mammalian group characterized by the presence of a placenta, which facilitates exchange of nutrients and wastes between the blood of the mother and that of the fetus. The placentals include all living mammals except marsupials and monotremes. Although some authorities consider the marsupials (cohort Marsupialia) to be placental mammals, these animals have a less-developed, less-efficient type of placenta that limits the gestation period. The true placenta of the placentals allows for a longer developmental period within the protection of the womb, a factor considered to have contributed to the evolutionary success of the group. Fossil evidence shows that the first placental mammals evolved between about 163 million and 157 million years ago during the Jurassic Period (201.3 million to about 145 million years ago).</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/manatee">manatee</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/flying-lemur">flying lemur</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/pangolin">pangolin</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Platypus"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/36/76836-050-BAD855AA/echidna-Kangaroo-Island-South-Australia.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Platypus" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Platypus & Echidna Order</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Platypus, (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), also called duckbill, a small amphibious Australian mammal noted for its odd combination of primitive features and special adaptations, especially the flat, almost comical bill that early observers thought was that of a duck sewn onto the body of a mammal. Adding to its distinctive appearance are conspicuous white patches of fur under the eyes. The fur on the rest of the body is dark to light brown above, with lighter fur on the underside.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/echidna-monotreme">echidna</a> <div class="font-serif">monotreme</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/monotreme">monotreme</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/platypus">platypus</a> <div class="font-serif">monotreme</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Primates"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/79/20279-050-ECDF21A7/mountain-gorilla-Virunga-National-Park-Democratic-Republic.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei)" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Primates" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Primates</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Primate, in zoology, any mammal of the group that includes the lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans. The order Primates, with its 300 or more species, is the third most diverse order of mammals, after rodents (Rodentia) and bats (Chiroptera).</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/Gorilla-primate-genus">gorilla</a> <div class="font-serif">primate</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/marmoset">marmoset</a> <div class="font-serif">primate</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/orangutan">orangutan</a> <div class="font-serif">primate</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Rodents-Rabbits-Insectivores-Shrews"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/01/9301-050-AA186AA9/spiny-tree-rat.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="White-faced spiny tree rat" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Rodents-Rabbits-Insectivores-Shrews" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Rodents, Rabbits, Insectivores & Shrews</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/pika">pika</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/tree-shrew">tree shrew</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/squirrel">squirrel</a> <div class="font-serif">rodent</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoises"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/42/167242-050-41DD8B19/Basilosaurus.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Basilosaurus" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoises" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Cetacean, (order Cetacea), any member of an entirely aquatic group of mammals commonly known as whales, dolphins, and porpoises. The ancient Greeks recognized that cetaceans breathe air, give birth to live young, produce milk, and have hair—all features of mammals. Because of their body form,...</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/narwhal">narwhal</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/right-whale">right whale</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/bottlenose-whale">bottlenose whale</a> <div class="font-serif">mammal</div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <DIV class="marketing-CATEGORY_PAGE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="CATEGORY_PAGE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Britannica Premium</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Did you know you're not getting the full Britannica experience? 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