CHAPTER 27: Mammals
27.1 CHARACTERISTICS
OF MAMMALS
- Class Mammalia
- Did you know that mammals are also defined by their ear bones? This page from the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web describes the characteristics that mammals all share, then lists 20 orders of mammals, with descriptions of each order's defining characteristics.
- Comparative Mammalian Brain Collections
- The brains of manatees, bats, primates, and other mammals are displayed here at this site sponsored by the University of Wisconsin; Michigan State University; and the National Museum of Health and Medicine.
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27.2 ORIGIN AND DIVERSITY OF MAMMALS
- The Hall of Mammals
- This exhibit from the University of California Museum of Paleontology describes monotreme, marsupial, and placental mammals, as well as the Synapsida, the group that includes mammals and therapsids.
- Mammal Species of the World
- Search this Smithsonian Institution database of the 4,629 currently recognized mammal species by scientific or common name.
- Cats: Plans for Perfection
- Take a look at the structures of felines, which are laid out at this National Geographic site like blueprints. As you click on the skeleton, muscle, senses, coat, and behavior buttons, you'll get to explore the specialized adaptations of cheetahs, sabertooths, and other cats in more depth.
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- Bubbly Dolphins
- How do dolphins sleep without drowning? View this Scientific American page and learn the answer.
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