Picard

Mammals

LactationProduces milk in the mammary glands allowing

the mother to provide sustenance to offspring as they develop outside of the womb.

EndothermicAn organism that generates heat to maintain

its body temperature, typically above the temperature of its surroundings; warm-blooded.

HairActs as an insulation and protection against

temperature and weather.

What is a mammal?

Order: Didelphimorpha Family: Didelphidae- New World

Opossums Order: Insectivora

Family: Soricidae- Shrews Family: Tilpidae- Moles

Order: Chiroptera Family: Vespertilionidae- Common

bats Order: Carnivora

Family: Felidae- Mountain lion, bobcat Family: Canidae- Wolves, coyotes,

foxes Family: Ursidae- Bears Family: Procyonidae- Racoon Family: Mustelidae- Badger, Weasels,

Skunks, Otters Family: Otariidae- Eared seals (fur

seals, sea lions) Family: Phocidae- earless seals

(Harbor Seals, Elephant Seals)

Order: Cetacea- Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises Family: Delphinidae: dolphins and

porpoises Family: Balaenopteridae Finback

whales Order: Rodentia

Family: Scuiridae- Squirrels, Chipmunks

Family: Castoridae- Beavers Family: Muridae- Rats, Mice,

Muskrat, Voles, Lemmings Family: Erethizontidae- Porcupine

Order: Lagomorpha Family: Leporidae- Rabbits and hares

Order: Artiodactyla Family: Cervidae- Deer Family: Antilocapridae- Pronghorn Family: Bovidae- Bison

Mammal Classification

Make up the most diverse group of mammals

Often considered to be pestsLarge numbersDestructive gnawing habits of some speciesImportant food source for other animals

Rodents

4 Large incisor teeth in the front of the mouthTeeth do not stop growing and must gnaw on

wood or other materials to keep teeth worn down

Rodents

Primary Consumers: Herbivores Serve as a dietary staple for secondary consumers

Hawks Owls Skunks Fox Coyotes Bobcats Lynx Mink Weasels Shrews Snakes Small Reptiles Bears

Smallest of the rodents: Mice

Rodents

Vole: small rodent with a stout body and short tail

Most common voles in North America are meadow vole, field mouse, muskrat.

Often confused with a mouse or ratDifference:

Blunt faceSmall eyesLarge ears Hairy tail

Rodents: Voles

Divided into two groups: Tree Squirrels

Spend their times in trees Live in forested areas Depend on trees for food and shelter Excellent climbers Make nests in trees Smaller litters of young than ground squirrels Occasionally multiple liters per year Store food during the summer and are active during the winter.

Ground Squirrels Live in burrows in the ground Will eat carcasses of road kill Large litters in spring Pray to many different animals Hibernate during winter months Depend on fat reserves for nutrition

Primary consumers Plant material Bird eggs Young birds

Rodents: Squirrels

Live in flatlands, prairies, rolling hills and high alpine meadows.

Burrowing animals- build underground dens lined with dry grass

HerbivoresHibernate during winter

Marmots and Prairie Dogs

Communicate- warn of danger and challenge rivals with a shrill whistle

Bits off green vegetation, lets it dry in the sun and then uses it as beding materials and emergency supply of food.

Live in areas where water is limited and are able to obtain enough water from plants.

Marmots

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Similar behavior to marmotsFive species of prairie dogs in North AmericaTail is covered with hairActive during the dayDiet: grasses, vegetation insects

(grasshoppers)Store food during summer for winter supplies

Prairie Dogs

Sharp quills used to defend itself against its enemies.

It cannot throw its quillsQuills can be imbedded into the flesh of other

animals Predators avoid quills by flipping the animal

over and attack the unprotected throat and belly

Cause damage to trees and shrubs due to gnawing the buds and bark for food

Attracted to salt

Porcupines

Pocket Gophers spend their lives alone in underground tunnels

Eat roots of plants During the night they gather grasses and

other plants that are eaten or carried for storage

Carry food in cheek pouches in mouthCome out of tunnels to find a mateMounds near entrance of tunnels resulting on

excavated dirt.

Gophers

Largest rodent found in North AmericaLives in tunnels constructed in the banks of

streams or inside lodges constructed in pondsFeeds on bark of willows and other trees Constructs dams from trees it cuts downTheir construction can create water

blockages that create ponds.

Beavers

Not rodents, but still are gnawing mammalsOnce were classified as rodents because of

their large incisors, but it was discovered that they had another set of incisors behind their first pair.

Occupy most of the North American ecosystemsEvergreen/hardwood forestsPlainsDesertsTundraMarshes

Lagomorphs: Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas

Hares have longer hind legs and longer, wider ears than rabbits.

Hares: Offspring born with a full coat of fur and eyes open at birth.

Rabbits: born without hair and eyes are closed for several days

Pikas: Short legs, ears and no visible tail.

Differences between Rabbits, Hares and Pikas

Make grass nests for their young and line them with fur pulled from the females sides and belly

Some build nests in underground holes or in depressions in the ground

Young rabbits open their eyes by 2 weeks and are helpless for about a month

Rabbits

Fast, more mobile than rabbitsLive in wide open spacesAcute hearing

Hares

1. What 3 characteristics make an animal a mammal? 2. What order are rabbits in? 3. List 5 animals that consume rodents. 4. Why are rodents considered to be pests? 5. Which group of squirrels hibernate? 6. Describe the damage porcupines do to trees. 7. What are 2 other names for woodchuck? 8. Which rodent construction creates small ponds? 9. Do rabbits have hair when born? 10. What is the one species of hare found in CT?

Pop Quiz

1. What 3 characteristics make an animal a mammal?Lactation, Hair, Endothermic

2. What order are rabbits in? Lagomorpha

3. List 5 animals that consume rodents.

4. Why are rodents considered to be pests? Chew wires, crops and spread diseases

5. Which group of squirrels hibernate? Ground

6. Describe the damage porcupines do to trees. Girdle the tree

7. What are 2 other names for woodchuck? Groundhog, Marmot, Whistling Pig

8. Which rodent construction creates small ponds? Beavers Dams

9. Do rabbits have hair when born? No, not until 1 month

10. What is the one species of hare found in CT? Snow Shoe Hare

Pop Quiz Answers

HawksOwlsSkunksFoxCoyotes

BobcatsLynxMinkWeaselsShrews

Snakes Small Reptiles Bears

Family: Felidae- Mountain lion, bobcat

Family: Canidae- Wolves, coyotes, foxes

Family: Ursidae- Bears

Family: Procyonidae- Racoon

Family: Mustelidae- Badger, Weasels, Skunks, Otters

Family: Otariidae- Eared seals (fur seals, sea lions)

Family: Phocidae- earless seals (Harbor Seals,

Elephant Seals)

Order: Carnivora

Over 260 species in the world

"Carnivora" comes from the Latin words carō, meaning "flesh," and vorāre, meaning "to devour," and thus means "to devour flesh."

Carnivores in general get most of their food by killing and eating other animals. Many are omnivores and get a large part of their

nutrition from plant foods.

Carnivora

Large canines and carnassials

Molars are blade-like and more suited for cutting than grinding

Can not move their lower jaws from side to side but can only open and close their mouths.

Teeth:

Aquatic pinnipeds have both front and hind limbs in the form of flippers

Carnivores walk on all four legsSome walk on their toesSome walk on the flat of the feet

Legs

Covered with thick fur. Almost all carnivores have tails

Used in various ways by different species. Some species have a prehensile tail

Prehensile: adapted for seizing, grasping, or taking hold of something

Body

A bearcat is a mammal from Malaysia, also called a binturong. Bearcats have prehensile tails. Click

Most carnivores bear young once a year

From 1-16 young

Young are born small and helpless and are looked after for a fairly long time by their mothers. In most cases, this includes time for learning

hunting and other life skills.

Breeding

All carnivores have scent glands in their anal regions. The secretions from these are often used to

mark territories. In skunks and some others, they are used as a

defensive weapon

Scent

Feliformia (cat-like) About 41 speciesHunted and trapped

SportFur

Many species endangered due to habitat loss and unregulated hunting

Diet is mostly meatWalk on four feet, in a digitigrade manner

Digitigrade: on their toes

Family: Felidae- Mountain lion, bobcat

Claws on their feet that are used for:Gripping preyFightingClimbing

Claws can be retracted into the toes, which helps keep them sharp, in all cats except: Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)Fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus)Flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps)

Felidae

Bodies are covered with furMost cats have a long fur-covered tailTail is used for:

balance in running and leapingSometimes for warmth

Cats have very keen senses, especially their vision. Their eyes are large and are well suited for seeing in

low levels of light. Most cats hunt at night or in the late evening and early

morning. They can not see in total darkness.

Felidae

Cats live most of their lives aloneException: Lions

Male and female cats come together to mateMost species -once a year. The young are born in litters of one to six.Young are cared for by their mother for several

monthsUntil they are mature and experienced enough to

live on their own.

Felidae

Mountain LionFelis concolor

FelidaeBobcatLynx rufus

Canada Lynx Lynx canadensis

FelidaeOcelot Felis pardalis

JaguarFelis onca

Felidae

Caniformia (dog-like)

Often are viewed as a threat to domestic animals or people

Hunted, trapped, and poisoned. Fur Sport

Family: Canidae- Wolves, coyotes, foxes

Excellent sense:SmellHearing

DietMainly meatScavengersSome eat plant matter in addition to diet

DigitigradeClaws are blunt and used for traction. Social –live in groups

Family: Canidae- Wolves, coyotes, foxes

Most give birth once a year 1-16 youngYoung are helpless and need parental care

for about a yearKept in den’s for warmth and protectionParents bring solid foods back to the den

after they are weaned before they are ready to hunt.

Family: Canidae- Wolves, coyotes, foxes

Coyote Canis latrans

Canidae Gray wolf (aka Timber wolf)Canis lupus

Red wolfCanis niger

CanidaeRed fox Vulpes fulva

Swift fox Vulpes velox

CanidaeKit foxVulpes macrotis

Arctic foxAlopex lagopus

Canidae Gray foxUrocyon cinereoargenteus

Largest living carnivores

Arctic coasts to tropical jungles

Decedents of dog family

Plantigrade feet – walks on whole paw

Non-retractile claws

Feed on a mixture of flesh and vegetable matter

Family: Ursidae- Bears

Black bearUrsus americanus

UrsidaeGrizzly bearUrsus horribilis

Alaskan brown bearKodiak bearBig brown bearUrsus middendorffi

Ursidae Polar bear Thalarctos maritimus

Giant pandaAiluropoda melanoleuco

Ursidae

Family contains the ring-tailed cat, cacomistle, raccoon, coatimundi, mountain coati, kinkajou, andolingo

Family: Procyonidae- Racoon

ring-tailed cat

cacomistle

coatimundi mountain coati kinkajou

olingo

6 genera and 18 speciesSmall to medium-sized Long to moderately long tails with dark rings Obvious facial markingsNon-retractable clawsOmnivorous dietMost active during the evening and early

night; crepuscular to nocturnal

Procyonidae

Plantigrade or semi-plantigradeExtremely agileTree climbingDexterous handsExcellent swimmers

Procyonidae

CoatiNasau naricaRanges from

extreme southern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas

Procyonidae

RaccoonProcyon lotor

ProcyonidaeRingtailBassariscus astutus

1. What does the word carnivora translate to in Latin? 2. Describe how carnivores chew. 3. Define prehensile. 4. List 3 reasons carnivores have scent glands.5. List one animal in the felidae family that does not have

the ability to retract its claws. 6. Define extirpated.7. What family is the swift fox in? 8. Which animal is in the ursidae family?9. What family were pandas in before they were

classified? 10. Are raccoons claws retractable?

Pop Quiz

1. What does the word carnivora translate to in Latin? Caro= flesh Vorare= to devour

2. Describe how carnivores chew. Up and down

3. Define prehensile. Adapted for seizing and grasping

4. List 3 reasons carnivores have scent glands. Territory Defense Attract mates

5. List one animal in the felidae family that does not have the ability to retract its claws.

Cheetah Fishing cat Flat-headed cat

6. Define extirpated. Removed from the area

7. What family is the swift fox in? Canidae

8. Which animal is in the ursidae family? Bears

9. What family were pandas in before they were classified? Proyonidae

10. Are raccoons claws retractable? No

Pop Quiz Answers

55 species

Long thin bodies

Spend most of their time hunting for food

Agile climbers

Otters: aquatic

Diet: rodents, fish, birds, earthworms, roots, plants, invertebrates, carrion

Family: Mustelidae- Badger, Weasels, Skunks, Otters

16 species have delayed implantation:

Following fertilization, the embryo does not implant in the uterus wall until certain external environmental conditions are met.

This delay can last up to ten months and often only occurs through the winter period.

It occurs in solitary Mustelids, which only tolerate the opposite gender for a relatively short mating period.

Mustelidae-

MartenMartes americana

Mustelidae-FisherMartes pennanti

Shorttail weaselErmineMustela erminea

Mustelidae-Least weaselMustela rixosa

Longtail weaselMustela frenata

Mustelidae-Black-footed ferretMustela nigripes

MinkMustela vison

Mustelidae-River otterLutra canadensis

Sea otterEnhydra lutris

Mustelidae-WolverineGulo luscus

BadgerTaxidea taxus

Mustelidae-Spotted skunkSpilogale putorius

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Striped skunkMephitis mephitis

Mustelidae- Hognose skunkConepatus leuconotus

14 species in 7 generaPolygamousSmall external ear flapsLight skinDense double layer of fur with short underfur

and longer guard hairsPartially hairless fore- and hindflippersSwim with their large foreflippers and can

rotate their hindflippers forward to walk and climb on all fours on land

Family: Otariidae- Eared seals (fur seals, sea lions)

Northern sea lionSteller sea lionEumetopias jubatus

OtariidaeCalifornia sea lionZalophus californianus

Alaska fur sealCallorhinus ursinus

Otariidae

Cannot turn hind flippers forward

Wiggles to move on land

Openings in skin are ears

Stiff hair like coat

Family: Phocidae- earless seals (Harbor Seals, Elephant Seals)

Harbor sealCommon sealPhoca vitulina

Phocidae

Ringed sealPusa hispida

Ribbon sealHistriophoca fasciata

PhocidaeHarp sealPhagophilus groenlandicus

Gray sealHalichoerus grypus

Phocidae

Bearded sealErignathus barbatus

Hooded sealCystophora cristata

PhocidaeElephant sealMirounga angustirostris

WalrusOdobenus rosmarus

Hind flippers can be turned forward

No external earsLarge tusks

Family: Odobenidae (Walrus)

Family: Cervidae- DeerFamily: Antilocapridae- PronghornFamily: Bovidae- Bison

Order: Artiodactyla

ElkCervus canadensis

Cervidae Mule deer Odocoileus hemionus

Barren ground caribouRangifer arcticus

CervidaeMoose Alces alces

Whitetail deer Odocoileus virginianus

Cervidae

PronghornAntilocapra americana

Antilocapridae

BisonBison bison

Bovidae Mountain goat Oreamnos americanus

Water buffalo

MuskoxOvibos moschatus

BovidaeBighorn sheepOvis canadensis

Family: Didelphidae- New World Opossums

Marsupium or pouch that develops on the abdomen of females

Omnivorous or carnivorousArboreal; one is aquatic and has fully webbed

hind feetNocturnal More than 60 speciesLong, naked tailA longPointed snoutOpposable thumbs in the hands and feetEars that are naked

Order: Didelphimorpha

Virginia opossumDidelphis virginiana

Family: Didelphidae-

Family: soricidae- shrewsFamily: tilpidae- molesShrews, moles, hedgehogs 4 families,442 speciesSmall to medium sized Plantigrade Long pointed snouts Sharp teeth Pinnae and eyes are usually small to absent

Order: Insectivora

300 species in 23 generaSmallEyes are tiny Main senses: touch, hearing, and smell

Some species are believed to use echolocationHigh metabolic rateActive throughout the day and nightFeed primarily on invertebratesSome shrews are poisonous

Family: Soricidae- shrews

Masked shrewSorex cinereus

Family: Soricidae- shrewsSmokey shrewSorex fumeus

Longtail shrewSorex dispar

Family: Soricidae- shrewsNorthern water shrewSorex palustris

Least shrewCryptotis parva

Family: Soricidae- shrewsShorttail shrewBlarina brevicauda

42 speciesNorth America and Eurasia

Active at day and night High metabolic rate Diet

InvertebratesSome eat plants

Around 2/3 of the members of this family are at least partially fossorialDigging underground tunnels in which they live Tiny eyesShort legs No external ears Short limbs, designed for digging with long clawsVelvet soft fur

Family: Tilpidae- moles

Hairytail Mole Parascalops breweri

Family: TilpidaeStarnose mole Condylura cristata

Eastern Mole Scalopus aquaticus

Family: Tilpidae

Family: Vespertilionidae- Common bats

318 species

Evening bats

Small eyes

No noseleaf

Ears

Long tails

Order: Chiroptera

Some species roost in large colonies, others are solitary or live in small groups or pairs.

Males and females tend to roost apart most of the year, and some species have maternity colonies.

Live in caves, but these bats can also be found in mine shafts, tunnels, tree roosts, rock crevices, buildings, etc.

Some species contaminate human habitations with feces and noise, but this annoyance is more than offset by the bats' consumption of huge quantities of insects.

Order: Chiroptera

Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus

Family: Vespertilionidae- Common bats

Hoary BatLasiurus cinereus

Include the largest animal that has ever lived, the blue whale

Cetaceans live, breed, rest, and carry out all of their life functions in the water.

They evolved from terrestrial animals to an entirely aquatic life form that is completely separated from the land

Order: Cetacea- Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises

Family: Delphinidae: dolphins and porpoisesCommon DolphinDelphinus delphis

Atlantic Bottlenose DolphinTursiops truncatus

Family: Delphinidae: dolphins and porpoisesKiller whale Orcinus orca

Blue whale Balaenoptera musculus

Family: Balaenopteridae Finback whales Humpback whale

Megaptera novaeangliae