Difference between revisions of "Mammal" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{Taxobox_begin | color = pink | name = Mammals}}
 
{{Taxobox_begin | color = pink | name = Mammals}}
{{Taxobox_image | image = [[Image:Lions snoozing in the sun.jpg|300px|Lions]] | caption = [[Lion]] (''Panthera leo'')}}
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{{Taxobox_image | image = [[Image:Mountain-Goat.jpg]] | caption = Rocky Mountain Goat (''Oreamnos americanus'')}}
 
{{Taxobox_begin_placement | color = pink}}
 
{{Taxobox_begin_placement | color = pink}}
 
{{Taxobox_regnum_entry | taxon = [[Animal]]ia}}
 
{{Taxobox_regnum_entry | taxon = [[Animal]]ia}}
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{{Taxobox_end_placement}}
 
{{Taxobox_end_placement}}
 
{{Taxobox_section_subdivision | color = pink | plural_taxon = Orders}}
 
{{Taxobox_section_subdivision | color = pink | plural_taxon = Orders}}
*Subclass [[Multituberculata]] (extinct)
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*Subclass Multituberculata (extinct)
**[[Plagiaulacida]]
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**Plagiaulacida
**[[Cimolodonta]]
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**Cimolodonta
*Subclass [[Palaeoryctoid|Palaeoryctoides]] (extinct)
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*Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct)
*Subclass [[Triconodonta]] (extinct)
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*Subclass Triconodonta (extinct)
*Subclass [[Eutheria]] (includes extinct ancestors)/[[Placentalia]] (excludes extinct ancestors)
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*Subclass [[Monotremata]]
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**[[Monotremata]]
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*Subclass [[Marsupialia]]
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**[[Dasyuromorphia]]
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**[[Didelphimorphia]]
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**[[Diprotodontia]]
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**[[Microbiotheria]]
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**[[Notoryctemorphia]]
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**[[Paucituberculata]]
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**[[Peramelemorphia]]
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*Subclass Eutheria/[[Placentalia]]  
 
**[[Afrosoricida]]
 
**[[Afrosoricida]]
**[[Artiodactyla]]
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**[[Artiodactyla]]  
**[[Carnivora]]
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**[[Carnivora]]  
 
**[[Cetacea]]
 
**[[Cetacea]]
 
**[[Chiroptera]]
 
**[[Chiroptera]]
**[[Cimolesta]] (extinct)
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**[[Cingulata]]
**[[Creodonta]] (extinct)
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**Cimolesta (extinct)
**[[Condylarthra]] (extinct)
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**Creodonta (extinct)
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**Condylarthra (extinct)
 
**[[Dermoptera]]
 
**[[Dermoptera]]
**[[Desmostylia]] (extinct)
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**Desmostylia (extinct)
**[[Embrithopoda]] (extinct)
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**Embrithopoda (extinct)
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**[[Erinaceomorpha]]
 
**[[Hyracoidea]]
 
**[[Hyracoidea]]
**[[Insectivora]]
 
 
**[[Lagomorpha]]
 
**[[Lagomorpha]]
**[[Litopterna]] (extinct)
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**Litopterna (extinct)
 
**[[Macroscelidea]]
 
**[[Macroscelidea]]
**[[Mesonychia]] (extinct)
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**Mesonychia (extinct)
**[[Notoungulata]] (extinct)
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**Notoungulata (extinct)
 
**[[Perissodactyla]]
 
**[[Perissodactyla]]
 
**[[Pholidota]]
 
**[[Pholidota]]
**[[Plesiadapiformes]] (extinct)
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**[[Pilosa]]
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**Plesiadapiformes (extinct)
 
**[[Primates]]
 
**[[Primates]]
 
**[[Proboscidea]]
 
**[[Proboscidea]]
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**[[Scandentia]]
 
**[[Scandentia]]
 
**[[Sirenia]]
 
**[[Sirenia]]
**[[Taeniodonta]] (extinct)
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**[[Soricomorpha]]
**[[Tillodontia]] (extinct)
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**Taeniodonta (extinct)
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**Tillodontia (extinct)
 
**[[Tubulidentata]]
 
**[[Tubulidentata]]
**[[Xenarthra]]
 
*Subclass [[Marsupialia]]
 
**[[Dasyuromorphia]]
 
**[[Didelphimorphia]]
 
**[[Diprotodontia]]
 
**[[Microbiotheria]]
 
**[[Notoryctemorphia]]
 
**[[Paucituberculata]]
 
**[[Peramelemorphia]]
 
*Subclass [[Monotremata]]
 
**[[Monotremata]]
 
 
{{Taxobox_end}}
 
{{Taxobox_end}}
The '''mammals''' are the [[Class (biology)|class]] of [[vertebrate]] [[animal]]s characterized by the presence of [[mammary gland]]s, which in [[female|females]] produce [[milk]] for the nourishment of young; the presence of [[hair]] or [[fur]]; and which have endothermic or "[[warm-blooded]]" bodies. The brain regulates endothermic and circulatory systems, including a four-chambered [[heart]]. Mammals encompass some 5500 [[species]], distributed in about 1200 [[genus|genera]], 152 [[Family (biology)|families]] and up to 46 [[Order (biology)|order]]s, though this varies depending on the [[scientific classification|classification scheme]] adopted.
 
  
[[Phylogenetics|Phylogenetically]], '''Mammalia''' is defined as all of the descendants of the last common ancestor of [[monotreme]]s (e.g., [[echidna]]s) and [[therian]] mammals ([[marsupial]]s and [[placental]]s), including [[human]]s.
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'''Mammals''' are the class of [[vertebrate]] [[animal]]s characterized by the presence of [[hair]] (or [[fur]]) and [[mammary gland]]s, which in females produce [[milk]] for the nourishment of young. The other extant (living) classes of vertebrates (animals with backbones) include [[fish]] (with a few recognized classes), [[amphibian]]s, [[reptile]]s, and [[bird]]s.  
  
==Characteristics==
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Like birds, mammals are endothermic or "[[warm-blooded]]," and have four-chambered hearts. Mammals also have a [[diaphragm]], a [[muscle]] below the rib cage that aids breathing. Some other vertebrates have a diaphragm, but mammals are the only vertebrates with a prehepatic diaphragm, that is, in front of the liver. Mammals are also the only vertebrates with a single bone in the lower jaw.
While most mammals give birth to live young, there are a few mammals (the [[monotreme|monotremes]]) that lay [[Egg (biology)|egg]]s. Live birth also occurs in a variety of non-mammalian species, such as [[guppy|guppies]] and [[hammerhead shark]]s; thus it is not a distinguishing characteristic of mammals. Although all mammals are endothermic, so are [[bird]]s and so this is also not a main defining feature.
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The choice of the word mammal to describe the class—rather than the presence of hair or a single bone in the lower jaw—is an interesting choice. In the eighteenth century, some scientists did refer to this group as hairy things, or "Pilosa" (now a designation for a group of placental mammals, including anteaters and sloths) (Marks 1997). But [[Carolus Linneaus]] provided the term ''Mammalia''. Some authorities trace Linneaus choice to his advocacy of mothers' breastfeeding their own children, and indeed Linneaus authored a book on the issue (Marks 1997). Whatever the reason, this terminology ties mammals to a feature that is connected to a key mammalian characteristic: parental behavior. Although caring for young is evident in many animals, including crocodiles, it reaches a zenith in birds and mammals. Among the [[primate]]s, human mothers spend more time with their infants than any other species.
  
While monotremes do not have nipples, they do have [[mammary gland]]s, meaning that they meet all conditions for inclusion in the class Mammalia. It should be noted that the current trend in [[taxonomy]] is to emphasize common ancestry; the diagnostic characteristics are useful for identifying this ancestry, but if, for example, a [[cetacean]] were found that had no hair at all, it would still be classified as a mammal.
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There are three major subdivisions of mammals: [[monotreme]]s, [[marsupial]]s, and [[placental]]s. Monotremes are mammals that lay [[egg (biology)|eggs]], and include the platypuses and echidnas (spiny anteaters). Marsupials are generally characterized by the female having a pouch in which it rears its young through early infancy, as well as various reproductive traits that distinguish them from other mammals. [[Opossum]]s, wombats, [[kangaroo]]s, and wallabies are examples of marsupials. Placentals generally can be distinguished from other mammals in that the fetus is nourished during gestation via a placenta, although bandicoots (marsupial omnivores) are a conspicuous exception to this rule. About 5,500 living [[species]] of mammals have been identified.
  
Mammals have three [[bone]]s in each [[ear]] and one (the dentary) on each side of the lower [[jaw]]; all other vertebrates with ears have one bone (the stapes) in the ear and at least three on each side of the jaw. A group of [[therapsid]]s called [[cynodont]]s had three bones in the jaw, but the main jaw joint was the dentary and the other bones conducted sound.  The extra jaw bones of other vertebrates are thought to be homologous with the malleus and incus of the mammal ear.
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Phylogenetically (classification based on evolutionary relatedness), Class '''Mammalia''' is defined as all descendants of the most recent common ancestor of monotremes and the therian mammals (Theria is a ''taxon'' that includes the closely affiliated marsupials and placentals).
  
All mammalian brains possess a [[neocortex]]. This brain region is unique to mammals.
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==Characteristics==
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Although all mammals are [[endothermic]], this is not a defining feature of mammals, since this trait is shared with [[bird]]s. However, the presence of [[hair]] is a unique mammalian characteristic. This filamentous outgrowth of the skin projects from the [[epidermis]], though it grows from follicles deep in the dermis. In non-human species, hair is commonly referred to as [[fur]]. The presence of hair has helped mammals to maintain a stable core body temperature. Hair and endothermy has aided mammals in inhabiting a wide diversity of environments, from deserts to polar environments, and be active daytime and nighttime.  
  
Mammals have [[skin|integumentary systems]] made up of three layers: the outermost [[epidermis (skin)|epidermis]], the [[dermis]], and the [[hypodermis]].
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The amount of hair reflects the environment to which the animal is adapted. Polar [[bear]]s have thick, water-repellent fur with hollow hairs that trap heat well. [[Whale]]s have very limited hair in isolated areas, thus reducing drag in the water. Instead, they maintain internal temperatures with a thick layer of blubber (vascularized fat).
  
The [[epidermis]] is typically ten to thirty cells thick, its main function being to provide a waterproof layer.  Its outermost cells are constantly lost; its bottommost cells are constantly dividing and pushing upward.  The middle layer, the dermis, is fifteen to forty times thicker than the epidermis. The dermis is made up of many components such as bony structures and blood vessels. The hypodermis is made up of [[adipose tissue]]. Its job is to store lipids, and to provide cushioning and insulation.  The thickness of this layer varies widely from species to species.
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No mammals have hair that is naturally blue or green in color. Some [[cetacean]]s (whales, dolphins and porpoises), along with the [[mandrill]]s, appear to have shades of blue skin. Many mammals are indicated as having blue hair or fur, but in all cases it will be found to be a shade of gray. The two-toed [[sloth]] can seem to have green fur, but this color is caused by [[algae|algal]] growths.
  
Most mammals are [[terrestrial]], but a number are [[aquatic]], including [[sirenia]] ([[manatee]]s and [[dugong]]s) and the cetaceans ([[dolphin]]s and [[whale]]s). Whales  are the [[largest organism|largest of all animals]]. There are semi-aquatic species such as [[Pinniped|seal]]s which come to land to breed but spend the majority of the time in water. 
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Although [[monotreme]]s are endothermic, their metabolic rates and body temperature are lower than that of most other mammals. Monotremes maintain an average temperature of around 32°C (90°F) compared to about 35°C (95°F) for marsupials and 38°C (100°F) for most placentals.  
  
True [[flight]] has evolved only once in mammals, the [[bat]]s; mammals such as [[flying squirrel]]s and [[flying lemur]]s are actually gliding animals.
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Mammals have [[skin|integumentary systems]] made up of three layers: the outermost epidermis, the dermis, and the hypodermis. This characteristic is not unique to mammals, but is found in all [[vertebrates]]. The epidermis is typically ten to thirty cells thick, its main function being to provide a waterproof layer. Its outermost cells are constantly lost; its bottommost cells are constantly dividing and pushing upward. The middle layer, the dermis, is fifteen to forty times thicker than the epidermis. The dermis is made up of many components, such as bony structures and blood vessels. The hypodermis is made up of adipose tissue. Its job is to store [[lipid]]s and to provide cushioning and insulation. The thickness of this layer varies widely from species to species.
  
No mammals have hair naturally blue or green in colour. Some cetaceans, along with the [[mandrill]]s appear to have shades of blue skin. Many mammals are indicated as having blue hair or fur, but in all cases, it will be found to be a shade of grey. The [[two-toed sloth]] can seem to have green fur, however, this colour is caused by [[algae]] growths.
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Along with hair, the presence of [[mammary gland]]s, for feeding milk to their young, is another defining feature of mammals. The monotremes do not have nipples, but they do have mammary glands. The milk is secreted via the skin onto a surface, where it can be sucked or lapped up by the newborn.
  
==Origins==
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Most mammals give birth to live young, but the monotremes lay [[Egg (biology)|egg]]s. Live birth also occurs in some non-mammalian species, such as [[guppy|guppies]] and [[hammerhead shark]]s; thus, it is not a distinguishing characteristic of mammals.
  
Mammals belong among the [[amniote]]s, and in particular to a group called the [[synapsid]]s, distinguished by the shape of their skulls, in particular the presence of a single hole where jaw muscles attach, called [[temporal fenestra]]. In comparison, [[dinosaur]]s, birds, and most reptiles are [[diapsid]]s, with two temporal fenestrae; and turtles, with no temporal fenestra, are [[anapsid]]s.  
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Mammals have three [[bone]]s in each [[ear]] and one (the dentary) on each side of the lower [[jaw]]; all other vertebrates with ears have one bone (the stapes) in the ear and at least three on each side of the jaw. A group of [[therapsid]]s called cynodonts had three bones in the jaw, but the main jaw joint was the dentary and the other bones conducted sound. The extra jawbones of other vertebrates are thought to be homologous with the malleus and incus of the mammal ear.
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[[Image:Northern right whale dolphin.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Northern right whale dolphin (''L. borealis'')]]
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All mammalian [[brain]]s possess a neocortex (or neopallium) that is involved in higher functions, such as [[sense|sensory]] perception, generation of motor commands, spatial reasoning, and in humans, [[language]] and [[consciousness|conscious]] thought. This brain region is unique to mammals (as is a single bone in the lower jaw, and the prehepatic [[diaphragm]], mentioned above).
  
From synapsids came the first mammal precursors, [[therapsida|therapsid]]s, and more specifically the [[eucynodont]]s, 220 [[million years ago]] (mya) during the [[Triassic]] period.  
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Most mammals are terrestrial, but some are aquatic, including [[sirenia]] (manatees and dugongs) and the cetaceans. Whales are the largest of all animals. There are semi-aquatic species, such as [[Pinniped|seal]]s, which come to land to breed but spend most of the time in water. Most cetaceans live in salt water, but there are some dolphin species that live in fresh water, such as the Amazon River Dolphin (''Inia geoffrensis'') that lives in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins.
  
Pre-mammalian ears began evolving in the late Permian to early Triassic to their current state, as three tiny bones ([[incus]], [[malleus]], and [[stapes]]) inside the skull; accompanied by the transformation of the lower [[jaw]] into a single bone. Other animals, including reptiles and pre-mammalian synapsids and therapsids, have several bones in the lower jaw, some of which are used for hearing; and a single ear-bone in the skull, the stapes. This transition is evidence of mammalian evolution from reptilian beginnings: from a single ear bone, and several lower jaw bones (for example the sailback [[pelycosaur]], ''[[Dimetrodon]]'') to progressively smaller "hearing jaw bones" (for example the [[cynodont]], ''[[Probainognathus]]''), and finally (possibly with ''[[Morganucodon]]'', but definitely with ''[[Hadrocodium]]''), true mammals with three ear bones in the skull and a single lower jaw bone. Hence pelycosaurs and cynodonts are sometimes called "[[mammal-like reptile]]s", though this is strictly incorrect since in modern parlance these two are not reptiles, but rather [[synapsid]]s.
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True [[flight]] has evolved only once in mammals, the [[bat]]s; mammals such as flying squirrels and flying lemurs are actually gliding animals.
  
During the [[Mesozoic]] Period mammals diversified into four main groups: [[multituberculate]]s, [[monotreme]]s, [[marsupial]]s, and [[placental]]s. Multituberculates went extinct during the [[Oligocene]], about 30 million years ago, but the three other mammal groups are all represented today. Most early mammals remained small and [[shrew]]-like throughout the Mesozoic, but rapidly developed into larger more diverse forms following the [[Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event]] 65 mya.
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==Classification==
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Mammals represent a "class" of vertebrates, ''Mammalia''. There are about 5,500 known species of mammals, which are distributed into various ''taxa'', such as orders, families, genera, and so forth (see [[taxonomy]]). However, the division of mammals into ''taxa'' below the level of class varies considerably according to the classification scheme used. McKenna and Bell (1997) recognize 46 orders, 425 families, and 5,000 genera. Other systems recognize considerably less orders, families, and genera of mammals.
  
The names "[[Prototheria]]", "[[Metatheria]]" and "[[Eutheria]]" expressed the theory that [[Placentalia]] were descendants of [[Marsupialia]], which were in turn descendants of [[Monotremata]], but this theory has been refuted. However, Eutheria and Metatheria are often used in [[paleontology]], especially with regards to mammals of the Mesozoic.
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In general, class Mammalia can be divided into two main branches, the [[monotreme]]s (sometimes labeled as the subclass, "Prototheria") and the "live-bearing mammals" (sometimes placed in the subclass "Theria"). The live-bearing mammals can be divided into two further ''taxa'', the [[marsupial]]s (sometimes labeled as infraclass Metatheria) and the [[placental]]s (infraclass Eutheria).  
  
Mammal evolutionary progression is below:
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[[George Gaylord Simpson]]'s ''Principles of Classification and a Classification of Mammals'' (1945) was an original authoritative source for the taxonomy of mammals. Simpson laid out a systematics of mammal origins and relationships that was universally taught until the end of the 20th century. Since Simpson's classification, the paleontological record has been recalibrated, and the intervening years have seen much debate and progress concerning the theoretical underpinnings of systematization itself, partly through the new concept of [[cladistics]]. Though fieldwork gradually made Simpson's classification outdated, for some time it remained the closest thing to an official classification of mammals.
  
* [[Agnatha|Jawless fish]]: [[Cambrian]] period to mid [[Ordovician]] periods
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The basic orders listed in the box at the top of the article, and in the subsection below, are based on the work of Simpson, and serve as a traditional way of organizing the orders of mammals.
* [[Bony fish]]: mid-Ordovician period to late [[Devonian]] period
 
* [[Amphibians]]: late Devonian period to early [[Carboniferous]] period
 
* [[Reptiles]]: late Carboniferous period
 
* [[Pelycosaurs]] (synapsids, or "mammal-like reptiles"): late Carboniferous period to very early [[Triassic]] period
 
* [[Cynodonts]]: [[Permian]]-Triassic
 
* Mammals: mid-Triassic period to today
 
  
===In the Mesozoic===
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===Traditional classification of living orders===
Most early mammals were small [[shrew]]-like animals that fed on insects. However, in January 2005, the discovery was reported of two fossils of [[Repenomamus]] around 130 million years old, one more than a meter in length, the other having remains of a baby dinosaur in its stomach (''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'', Jan. 15, 2005
 
[http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v433/n7022/full/433116b_fs.html].)  The earliest mammals include:
 
  
* ''[[Eozostrodon]]'': Triassic and [[Jurassic]]
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*'''Subclass [[Monotremata]]'''
* ''[[Deltatheridium]]'': [[Cretaceous]]
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**[[Monotremata]]:  platypus and spiny anteater
* ''[[Jeholodens]]'': mid-Cretaceous
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*'''Subclass [[Marsupialia]]'''
* ''[[Megazostrodon]]'': late Triassic and early [[Jurassic]]
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**Dasyuromorphia:  quolls, dunnarts, Numbat, Tasmanian Devil
* ''[[Triconodonta|Triconodont]]'': Triassic to Cretaceous
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**[[Didelphimorphia]]:  opossums
* ''[[Zalambdalestes]]'': late Cretaceous
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**[[Diprotodontia]]:  kangaroos, wallabies, possums, Koala, wombats
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**Microbiotheria:  Monito del Monte or Colocolo
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**Notoryctemorphia:  marsupial moles
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**Paucituberculata:  shrew opossums
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**[[Peramelemorphia]]:  bandicoots and bilbies
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*'''Subclass Eutheria/[[Placentalia]]'''
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**Afrosoricida:  golden moles of southern Africa and the tenrecs of Madagascar
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**[[Artiodactyla]]:  even-toed ungulates: hippos, camels, llamas, deer, giraffes, cattle, sheep, goats
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**[[Carnivora]]:  cat-like mammals (cats, mongooses, hyenas); dog-like mammals (dogs, skunks, weasels, seals, raccoons, bears)
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**[[Cetacea]]:  whales, porpoises, dolphins
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**[[Chiroptera]]:  bats
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**Dermoptera:  colugos
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**Hyracoidea:  hyraxes
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**[[Insectivora]]:  hedgehogs, shrews, moles
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**[[Lagomorpha]]:  rabbits, hares, pika
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**Macroscelidea:  elephant shrews or jumping shrews
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**[[Perissodactyla]]:  odd-toed ungulates (tapirs, rhinoceroses, horses)
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**Pholidota:  pangolins
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**[[Primates]]:  monkeys, lemurs, gibbon, orangutan, gorilla, human
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**[[Proboscidea]]:  elephants
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**[[Rodentia]]:  squirrels, woodchucks, mice, rats, muskrats
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**Scandentia:  treeshrews
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**[[Sirenia]]:  manatees and dugongs
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**[[Tubulidentata]]:  Aardvark
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**[[Xenarthra]]:  anteaters, sloths, and armadillos (originally with aardvark and pangolins in Order Edentata)
  
Although mammals existed alongside the [[dinosaur]]s, mammals only began to dominate after the [[mass extinction]] of the dinosaurs 65 mya, in the [[Cenozoic]].
 
  
===In the Paleocene===
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Order Rodentia has the most number of species, with more than one-third of known species.
During the next 8 million years, the [[Paleocene]] period (64–58 mya), mammals exploded into the [[ecological niche]]s left by the extinction of the dinosaurs. Small [[rodent]]-like mammals still dominated, but medium and larger-sized mammals evolved.
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The bats (order Chiroptera) are the next most populous in terms of species, followed by Carnivora, Insectivora, and Primates. New mammal species continue to be found, although this ''taxon'' is fairly well known, relative to many other ''taxa'', such as [[insect]]s or [[fish]].
  
* ''[[Ptilodus]]'': [[multituberculate]]
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A highly successful order, rodents are distributed worldwide, including terrestrial, tree dwelling, semi-aquatic, and underground habitats. [[Squirrel]]s and their relatives (beavers, chipmunks, gophers, etc.) are generally placed in the suborder Sciuromorpha, and mouse-like rodents (rats, lemmings, mice, hamsters, etc.) are placed in the suborder Myomorphia.
* ''[[Pucadelphys andinus]]'': an opposum-like [[marsupial]]
 
* ''[[Purgatorius]]'': a primate-like mammal, [[placental]]
 
* ''[[Ectoconus]]'': an early hoofed mammal, [[placental]]
 
  
==Classification==
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Hoofed mammals are placed into two orders. The Artiodactyla are even-toed mammals and include pigs, camels, cattle, elk, deer, and the American bison, among others. The Perissodactyla are odd-toed mammals, including rhinoceroses, [[horse]]s, zebras, and tapirs. Horses and zebras are placed together in the Family Equidae.
''Main article: [[Mammal classification]]''
 
  
[[George Gaylord Simpson]]'s classic "Principles of Classification and a Classification of Mammals" (AMNH ''Bulletin'' v. 85, 1945) was the original source for the taxonomy listed here. Simpson laid out a systematics of mammal origins and relationships that was universally taught until the end of the [[20th century]]. Since Simpson's 1945 classification, the [[fossil record|paleontological record]] has been recalibrated, and the intervening years have seen much debate and progress concerning the theoretical underpinnings of systematization itself, partly through the new concept of [[cladistics]]. Though field work gradually made Simpson's classification outdated, it remained the closest thing to an official classification of mammals.
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The members of the Order Insectivora—shrews, moles, and hedgehogs—tend to be most active at night, and feed on insects, as well as worms and spiders.
  
===Standardized textbook classification===
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[[Image:Walrus.jpg|none|thumb|right|250px|A pacific walrus]]
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The Order Carnivora includes such well-known families as Canidae (dogs, wolves, coyotes, jackels), Felidae (tigers, lions, cats, jaguars), and Ursidae (brown bears, black bears, giant panda, sloth bear). Carnivora also includes skunks, weasels, badgers, otters, walruses, sea lions, seals, and racoons.
  
A somewhat standardized classification system has been adopted by most current [[mammalogy]] classroom textbooks. The following taxonomy of extant and recently extinct mammals is taken from [[#References|Vaughan et al. (2000)]].
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Seals, sea lions, and walruses are called [[pinniped]]s ("fin feet") and are sometimes placed in their own order, Pinnipedia, rather than in the Order Carnivora with Pinnipedia as a suborder. Yet other taxonomists place pinnipeds in the suborder Caniformia, made up of the families Odobenidae (walruses), Otariidae (sea lions, eared seals, and fur seals), and Phocidae (true seals). In this case, Pinnipedia is considered as a superfamily.
  
'''Class Mammalia'''
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In modern classification, the [[primate]]s are generally divided into two suborders: Strepsirrhini, the "wet-nosed" primates, and Haplorrhini, the "dry-nosed" primates. The Strepsirrhini include the [[prosimian]]s (except for the tarsiers), consisting of the lemur families, as well as the lorises, Aye-ayes, galagos, and the pottos. The suborder Haplorrhini include the prosimian tarsiers, as well as the [[New World monkey]]s (marmosets, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, capuchins) and the Old World primates. The Old World primates include the [[Old World monkey]]s ([[baboon]]s, colobus monkeys, macaques), as well as the [[ape]]s, [[gibbon]]s, and [[human being|human]]s.
*'''Subclass [[Prototheria]]''' - monotremes: [[platypus]] and [[echidna]]s
 
*'''Subclass [[Theria]]''' - live-bearing mammals
 
**Infraclass [[Metatheria]] - marsupials
 
**Infraclass [[Eutheria]] - placentals
 
  
 
===McKenna/Bell classification===
 
===McKenna/Bell classification===
  
In 1997, the mammals were comprehensively revised by Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell, which has resulted in the "McKenna/Bell classification".
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Biological classification generally seeks to reflect [[evolution|evolutionary]] relationships between organisms. For such reasons, it tends to be a dynamic rather than a static science, as [[taxonomy|taxonomies]] are continually changing as more information is obtained.  
  
[[#References|McKenna and Bell, ''Classification of Mammals: Above the species level,'' (1997)]] is the most comprehensive work to date on the systematics, relationships, and occurrences of all mammal taxa, living and extinct, down through the rank of genus. The new McKenna/Bell classification was quickly accepted by paleontologists. The authors work together as [[paleontologists]] at the [[American Museum of Natural History]], New York. McKenna inherited the project from Simpson and, with Bell, constructed a completely updated hierarchical system, covering living and extinct taxa that reflects the historical genealogy of Mammalia.
+
In 1997, the mammals were comprehensively revised by Malcolm McKenna and Susan Bell, which has resulted in the "McKenna/Bell classification."
  
The McKenna/Bell hierarchical listing of all of the terms used for mammal groups above the species includes extinct mammals as well as modern groups, and introduces some fine distinctions such as [[legion (biology)|legions]] and [[sublegions]] (ranks which fall between classes and orders) that are likely to be glossed over by the layman.
+
McKenna and Bell's ''Classification of Mammals: Above the Species Level'' (1997) is one of the more comprehensive works to date on the systematics, relationships, and occurrences of all mammal ''taxa'', living and extinct, down through the rank of genus. Many [[paleontology|paleontologists]] quickly accepted this new system. McKenna inherited the project from Simpson and, with Bell, constructed a completely updated hierarchical system, one that reflects the assumed historical genealogy of Mammalia.
 +
 
 +
Below is a synopsis of part of the McKenna/Bell classification. [[Extinct]] groups are represented by a dagger (†).
 +
 
 +
'''Class Mammalia'''
 +
*'''Subclass Prototheria''': [[monotreme]]s: platypuses and echidnas
 +
*'''Subclass Theriiformes''': live-bearing mammals and their prehistoric relatives
 +
**Infraclass †Allotheria: multituberculates
 +
**Infraclass †Triconodonta: triconodonts
 +
**Infraclass Holotheria: modern live-bearing mammals and their prehistoric relatives
 +
***Supercohort Theria: live-bearing mammals
 +
****Cohort Marsupialia: [[marsupial]]s
 +
*****Magnorder Australidelphia: [[Australia|Australian]] marsupials and the Monito del Monte
 +
*****Magnorder Ameridelphia: New World marsupials
 +
****Cohort Placentalia: [[placental]]s
 +
*****Magnorder Xenarthra: xenarthrans
 +
*****Magnorder Epitheria: epitheres
 +
******Grandorder Anagalida: [[Lagomorpha|lagomorphs]], [[rodent]]s, and elephant shrews
 +
******Grandorder Ferae: [[carnivora]]ns, [[pangolin]]s, †creodonts, and relatives
 +
******Grandorder Lipotyphla: [[insectivora]]ns
 +
******Grandorder Archonta: [[bat]]s, [[primate]]s, colugos, and treeshrews
 +
******Grandorder Ungulata: [[ungulate]]s
 +
*******Order Tubulidentata ''incertae sedis'': [[Aardvark]]
 +
*******Mirorder Eparctocyona: †condylarths, [[whale]]s, and [[artiodactyla|artiodactyls]] (even-toed ungulates)
 +
*******Mirorder †Meridiungulata: South American ungulates
 +
*******Mirorder Altungulata: [[Perissodactyla|perissodactyls]] (odd-toed ungulates), [[elephant]]s, [[manatee]]s, and hyraxes
  
The published re-classification forms both a comprehensive and authoritative record of approved names and classifications and a list of invalid names.  
+
===Molecular classification of placentals===
 +
Molecular studies by molecular systematists, based on [[DNA]] analysis, have suggested new relationships among mammal ''taxa''. One classification based on molecular studies points to four groups or lineages of [[placental]] mammals that diverged from early common ancestors in the [[Cretaceous]].
  
Click on the highlighted link for a [http://nasa.utep.edu/chih/chklist/mammals/keys/mammtab.htm table comparing the traditional and the new McKenna/Bell classifications of mammals]
+
[[Image:Weisshandgibbon tierpark berlin.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Lar gibbon]]
  
[[Extinct]] groups are represented by †.
+
In this classification, the first divergence was that of the Afrotheria 110–100 million years ago. The Afrotheria proceeded to evolve and diversify in the isolation of the African-Arabian continent. The Xenarthra, isolated in [[South America]], diverged from the Boreoeutheria approximately 100–95 million years ago. The Boreoeutheria split into the Laurasiatheria and Euarchontoglires between 95 and 85 million years ago; both of these groups evolved on the northern continent of [[Laurasia]].
  
'''Class Mammalia'''
+
After tens of millions of years of relative isolation, Africa-Arabia collided with Eurasia, and the formation of the Isthmus of Panama linked [[South America]] and [[North America]], facilitating the distribution of mammals seen today. With the exception of bats and murine rodents, no placental land mammals reached [[Australasia]] until the first human settlers arrived approximately 50,000 years ago.
*'''Subclass [[Prototheria]]''': monotremes: [[platypus]]es and [[echidna]]s
 
*'''Subclass [[Theriiformes]]''': live-bearing mammals and their prehistoric relatives
 
**Infraclass †[[Allotheria]]: multituberculates
 
**Infraclass †[[Triconodonta]]: triconodonts
 
**Infraclass [[Holotheria]]: modern live-bearing mammals and their prehistoric relatives
 
***Supercohort Theria: live-bearing mammals
 
****Cohort [[Marsupialia]]: marsupials
 
*****Magnorder [[Australidelphia]]: [[Australia|Australian]] marsupials and the [[Microbiotheriidae|monito-del-monte]]
 
*****Magnorder [[Ameridelphia]]: New World marsupials
 
****Cohort [[Placentalia]]: placentals
 
*****Magnorder [[Xenarthra]]: xenarthrans
 
*****Magnorder [[Epitheria]]: epitheres
 
******Grandorder [[Anagalida]]: [[Lagomorpha|lagomorphs]], [[rodent]]s, and [[elephant shrew]]s
 
******Grandorder [[Ferae]]: [[carnivora]]ns, [[pangolin]]s, [[creodont]]s, and relatives
 
******Grandorder [[Lipotyphla]]: [[insectivora]]ns
 
******Grandorder [[Archonta]]: [[bat]]s, [[primate]]s, [[colugo]]s, and [[tree shrew]]s
 
******Grandorder [[Ungulata]]: ungulates
 
*******Order [[Tubulidentata]] ''[[incertae sedis]]'': aardvark
 
*******Mirorder [[Eparctocyona]]: [[condylarth]]s, [[whale]]s, and [[artiodactyla|artiodactyls]]
 
*******Mirorder †[[Meridiungulata]]: South American ungulates
 
*******Mirorder [[Altungulata]]: [[Perissodactyla|perissodactyls]], [[elephant]]s, [[manatee]]s, and [[hyrax]]es
 
  
===Molecular classification of mammals===
+
However, it should be noted that these molecular results are still controversial, mainly because they are not reflected by morphological data and thus not accepted by many systematists. It is also important to note that [[fossil]] ''taxa'' are not, and in most cases cannot be, included. Although there are instances of DNA being recovered from prehistoric mammals, such as the ground sloth ''Mylodon'' and [[Neanderthal]] humans, ''Homo neanderthalensis'', fossils can generally only be used in morphological analyses.
Molecular studies based on DNA analysis have suggested new relationships among mammal families over the last few years. The most recent classification systems based on molecular studies have proposed four groups or lineages of placental mammals. [[Molecular clock]]s suggest that these clades diverged from early common ancestors in the Cretaceous, but fossils have not been found to corroborate this hypothesis. These molecular findings are consistent with mammal [[zoogeography]]:
 
  
The first divergence was that of the [[Afrotheria]]  110–100 mya. The Afrotheria proceeded to evolve and diversify in the isolation of the African-Arabian continent. The [[Xenarthra]], isolated in [[South America]], diverged from the [[Boreoeutheria]] approximately 100–95 mya. The Boreoeutheria split into the [[Laurasiatheria]] and [[Euarchontoglires]] between 95 and 85 mya; both of these groups evolved on the northern continent of [[Laurasia]]. After tens of millions of years of relative isolation, Africa-Arabia collided with Eurasia, exchanging Afrotheria and Boreoeutheria. The formation of the [[Isthmus of Panama]] linked [[South America]] and [[North America]], which facilitated the exchange of mammal species in the [[Great American Interchange]]. The traditional view that no placental mammals reached [[Australasia]] until about 5 million years ago when bats and [[Murinae|murine]] rodents arrived has been challenged by recent evidence and may need to be reassessed. It should however be noted that these molecular results are still controversial because they are not reflected by [[Morphology (biology)|morphological]] data and thus not accepted by many systematists.
+
The following taxonomy only includes living placentals (infraclass Eutheria):
  
* '''Group I: [[Afrotheria]]'''
+
* '''Group I: Afrotheria'''
**Order [[Macroscelidea]]: elephant shrews (Africa).
+
**Clade Afro-insectiphillia
**Order [[Afrosoricida]]
+
***Order Macroscelidea: elephant shrews (Africa).
**Order [[Tubulidentata]]: aardvark (Africa south of the Sahara).
+
***Order Afrosoricida: tenrecs and golden moles (Africa)
**Clade [[Paenungulata]]
+
***Order [[Tubulidentata]]: aardvark (Africa south of the Sahara).
***Order [[Hyracoidea]]: hyraxes, dassies (Africa, Arabia).
+
**Clade Paenungulata
 +
***Order Hyracoidea: hyraxes or dassies (Africa, Arabia).
 
***Order [[Proboscidea]]: elephants (Africa, Southeast Asia).
 
***Order [[Proboscidea]]: elephants (Africa, Southeast Asia).
***Order [[Sirenia]]
+
***Order [[Sirenia]]: dugong and manatees (cosmopolitcan tropical)
 
*'''Group II: [[Xenarthra]]'''
 
*'''Group II: [[Xenarthra]]'''
 
**Order [[Xenarthra]]: sloths and anteaters (Neotropical) and armadillos (Neotropical and Nearctic)
 
**Order [[Xenarthra]]: sloths and anteaters (Neotropical) and armadillos (Neotropical and Nearctic)
*'''Clade [[Boreoeutheria]]'''
+
*'''Clade Boreoeutheria'''
**Group III [[Euarchontoglires]]
+
**'''Group III: Euarchontoglires (Supraprimates)'''
***Superorder [[Euarchonta]]
+
***Superorder Euarchonta
****Order [[Scandentia]]: tree shrews (Southeast Asia).  
+
****Order Scandentia: treeshrews (Southeast Asia).  
****Order [[Dermoptera]]: flying lemurs or colugos (Southeast Asia).  
+
****Order Dermoptera: flying lemurs or colugos (Southeast Asia).  
 
****Order [[Primates]]: lemurs, bushbabies, monkeys, apes (cosmopolitan).
 
****Order [[Primates]]: lemurs, bushbabies, monkeys, apes (cosmopolitan).
 
***Superorder Glires
 
***Superorder Glires
 
****Order [[Lagomorpha]]: pikas, rabbits, hares (Eurasia, Africa, Americas).
 
****Order [[Lagomorpha]]: pikas, rabbits, hares (Eurasia, Africa, Americas).
 
****Order [[Rodentia]]: rodents (cosmopolitan)
 
****Order [[Rodentia]]: rodents (cosmopolitan)
**Group IV: [[Laurasiatheria]]
+
**'''Group IV: Laurasiatheria'''
***Order [[Insectivora]]: eulipotyphlan insectivorans
+
***Order [[Insectivora]]: moles, hedgehogs, shrews, solenodons
 
***Order [[Chiroptera]]: bats (cosmopolitan)
 
***Order [[Chiroptera]]: bats (cosmopolitan)
***Order [[Cetartiodactyla]]: cosmopolitan; includes former orders [[Cetacea]] (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and [[Artiodactyla]] (even-toed ungulates, including pigs, hippopotamus, camels, giraffe, deer, antelope, cattle, sheep, goats).
+
***Order Cetartiodactyla: cosmopolitan; includes former orders [[Cetacea]] (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and [[Artiodactyla]] (even-toed ungulates, including pigs, hippopotamus, camels, giraffe, deer, antelope, cattle, sheep, goats).
***Clade [[Zooamata]]
+
***Order [[Perissodactyla]]: odd-toed ungulates
****Order [[Perissodactyla]]: odd-toed ungulates
+
***Clade Fera]
****Clade [[Ferae]]
+
****Order Pholidota: pangolins or scaly anteaters (Africa, South Asia).
*****Order [[Pholidota]]: pangolins, scaly anteaters (Africa, South Asia).
+
****Order [[Carnivora]]: carnivores (cosmopolitan)
*****Order [[Carnivora]]: carnivorans (cosmopolitan)
+
 
 +
The Cetartiodactyla is a hypothesized order to which whales (including dolphins) and even-toed ungulates are proposed to belong. The term was coined by merging the name for the two orders, Cetacea and Artiodactyla, into a single word. The term Cetartiodactyla is most commonly used to describe the hypothesis that whales evolved from within the artiodactyls. Under this definition, their closest living land relative is thought to be the hippopotamus. Alternatively, the term Cetartiodactlya is used to denote a clade where Cetacea and Artiodactyla are sister groups, but where Cetacea did not actually evolve from within the Artiodactyla. Under this definition, all artiodactyls, including hippos, are more closely related to one another than any are to the whales.
 +
 
 +
==Origins==
  
===Classification system used in related articles===
+
Evidence from [[fossil]]s and comparative anatomy suggest that mammals [[evolution|evolved]] from [[therapsid]] reptiles during the [[Triassic]] period (approximately 200-250 million years ago). The therapsids, which first appeared in the fossil record near the end of the Paleozoic era, about 280 million years ago, had both reptilian and mammalian characteristics. The oldest mammalian fossil is from about 200 million years ago, in the [[Mesozoic]] era at the end of the Triassic period (see [[geologic time scale]]).
  
In light of all the options available, the following classification system has been adopted for use in related articles.
+
Mammals belong among the ''amniotes'' (vertebrates that have membranous sacs that surround and protect the embryo) and in particular to a sub-group called the ''synapsids''. Synapsids are distinguished by the shape of their skulls, in particular the presence of a single hole on each side where jaw muscles attach, called temporal fenestra. In comparison, [[dinosaur]]s, [[bird]]s, and most [[reptile]]s are ''diapsids'', with two temporal fenestrae on each side of the skull. [[Turtle]]s, with no temporal fenestra, are ''anapsids''. Synapsid therapsids, the assumed ancestors of mammals, became common during the Permian period at the end of the Paleozoic era. (''Sauropsids'' is the name given to the sub-group of amniotes that are not synapsids—dinosaurs, birds, modern reptiles, and most extinct reptiles, exluding those that are synapsids.)
  
'''Class Mammalia'''
+
Pre-mammalian [[ear]]s began evolving in the late Permian to early Triassic to their current state, as three tiny bones (incus, malleus, and stapes) inside the skull; accompanied by the transformation of the lower [[jaw]] into a single bone. Other animals, including reptiles and pre-mammalian synapsids and therapsids, have several bones in the lower jaw. This transition is evidence of mammalian evolution from reptilian beginnings: from a single ear bone, and several lower jaw bones (for example the sailback [[pelycosaur]], ''Dimetrodon'') to progressively smaller "hearing jaw bones" (for example the cynodont, ''Probainognathus''), and finally (possibly with ''Morganucodon'', but definitely with ''Hadrocodium''), true mammals with three ear bones in the skull and a single lower jaw bone. Hence pelycosaurs and cynodonts are sometimes called "mammal-like reptiles," but this is strictly incorrect as these two are not reptiles but [[synapsid]]s.
*'''Subclass/Order [[Monotremata]]''': egg-laying mammals
 
**Order [[Monotremata]]: [[echidna]]s and [[platypus]]
 
*'''Subclass [[Marsupialia]]''': marsupials
 
**Order [[Didelphimorphia]]: New World [[opossum]]s
 
**Order [[Paucituberculata]]: [[shrew opossum]]s
 
**Order [[Microbiotheria]]: Monito del Monte
 
**Order [[Dasyuromorphia]]: marsupial carnivores
 
**Order [[Notoryctemorphia]]: marsupial mole
 
**Superorder [[Syndactyla]]: syndactylous marsupials
 
***Order [[Peramelemorphia]]: bandicoots and bilbies
 
***Order [[Diprotodontia]]: koalas, wombats, kangaroos, possums, etc.
 
*'''Subclass [[Placentalia]]'''
 
**Order [[Xenarthra]]: sloths, anteaters, armadillos
 
**Order [[Pholidota]]: pangolins
 
**Superorder Glires
 
***Order [[Rodentia]]: rodents
 
***Order [[Lagomorpha]]: rabbits, hares, and pikas
 
**Order [[Macroscelidea]]: elephant shrews
 
**Superorder [[Archonta]]:
 
***Order [[Primates]]: primates
 
***Order [[Scandentia]]: tree shrews
 
***Order [[Chiroptera]]: bats
 
***Order [[Dermoptera]]: colugos
 
**Order [[Insectivora]]: shrews, tenrecs, moles, hedgehogs, etc.
 
**Order [[Carnivora]]: dogs, cats, weasels, seals, etc.
 
**Superorder Ungulata: ungulates
 
***Order [[Tubulidentata]]: aardvark
 
***Order [[Hyracoidea]]: hyraxes
 
***Order [[Proboscidea]]: elephants
 
***Order [[Sirenia]]: manatees, dugong
 
***Order [[Perissodactyla]]: horses, tapirs, rhinoceroses
 
***Order [[Artiodactyla]]: even-toed ungulates
 
***Order [[Cetacea]]: whales
 
  
==References==
+
During the [[Mesozoic]] Period, mammals appeared to diversify into four main groups: multituberculates (Allotherium), [[monotreme]]s, [[marsupial]]s, and [[placental]]s. Multituberculates went extinct during the [[Oligocene]], about 30 million years ago, but the three other mammal groups are all represented today.
  
*McKenna, Malcolm C., and Bell, Susan K. 1997. ''Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level.'' Columbia University Press, New York, 631 pp. ISBN 0-231-11013-8
+
The designations ''Prototheria'', ''Metatheria'', and ''Eutheria'' reflect the theory that Placentalia were descendants of Marsupialia, which were in turn descendants of Monotremata. However, this theory is now is disfavor. Nonetheless, the terms Eutheria and Metatheria remain in common use in [[paleontology]], especially with regards to mammals of the Mesozoic.
  
*Nowak, Ronald M. 1999. ''Walker's Mammals of the World'', 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1936 pp. ISBN 0-801-85789-9
+
[[Image:RepenomamusuZICA.png|thumb|left|200px|''Repenomamus'', the largest mammal known from the [[Cretaceous]] period of the [[Mesozoic]], and the only one with evidence that it ate [[dinosaur]]s.]]
  
*Simpson, George Gaylord. 1945. "The principles of classification and a classification of mammals". ''Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History'', '''85''':1–350.
+
Based on the fossil record, most early mammals appear to have remained small and [[shrew]]-like throughout the Mesozoic, but rapidly developed into larger, more diverse forms following the [[mass extinction|Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event]] 65 million years ago, at the time of the extinction of the dinosaurs.
  
*Springer, Mark S., Michael J. Stanhope, Ole Madsen, and Wilfried W. de Jong. 2004. "Molecules consolidate the placental mammal tree". Trends in Ecology and Evolution, '''19''':430–438. ([http://www.zi.ku.dk/evolbiology/courses/ME04/7_9/springer200-phyl.pdf pdf version])
+
Although early mammals are commonly portrayed as small animals that fed on [[insect]]s and lived in the shadow of dinosaurs, Hu et. al. (2005) report the finding of a [[fossil]] of a [[Mesozoic]] mammal (''Repenomanusu'') that is more than one meter in length, with the remains of a baby dinosaur in its stomach. They suggest that larger mammals may have competed with the dinosaurs for food and territory.  
  
*Vaughan, Terry A., James M. Ryan, and Nicholas J. Capzaplewski. 2000. ''Mammalogy: Fourth Edition''. Saunders College Publishing, 565 pp. ISBN 0-030-25034-X (Brooks Cole, 1999)
+
During the next eight million years, in the [[Paleocene]] period (64–58 million years ago), the fossil record suggests that mammals exploded into the ecological niches left by the extinction of the dinosaurs. Small [[rodent]]-like mammals still dominated, but medium and larger-sized mammals also appeared.
  
*Wilson, Don E., and Deeann M. Reeder (eds). 1993. ''Mammal Species of the World''. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1206 pp. ISBN 1-560-98217-9
+
A possible mammal evolutionary progression is:
  
==See also==
+
* Reptiliomorpha: Early [[Carboniferous]] period
{{Wikispecies|Mammalia}}
+
* [[Pelycosaurs]] (synapsids, or "mammal-like reptiles"): late Carboniferous period to very early [[Triassic]] period
*[[List of mammals]]
+
* [[Therapsids]]: Early [[Permian]]-[[Triassic]] includes dicynodonts, dinocephalia, etc.)
*[[List of regional mammals lists]]
+
* Cynodonts: [[Permian]]-[[Cretaceous]] [[Paleocene]]?
*[[List of prehistoric mammals]]
+
* Mammaliformes: Mid-[[Triassic]] to Early [[Oligocene]] (includes non-therian mammals)
*[[Mammal classification]]
+
* Mammals: mid-Jurassic period to today (Monotremes, Metatheria, and Eutheria)
 +
 
 +
==References==
  
==External links==
+
*Bergsten, J. 2005. “A review of long-branch attraction.” ''Cladistics'' 21: 163–193.
 +
*Hu, Y., J. Meng, Y. Wang, and C. Li. 2005. “Large Mesozoic mammals fed on young dinosaurs.” ''Nature'' 433 (7022): 149-152.
 +
*Kriegs, J. O., G. Churakov, M. Kiefmann, U. Jordan, J. Brosius, and J. Schmitz. 2006. “Retroposed elements as archives for the evolutionary history of placental mammals.” ''PLoS Biol'' 4 (4): 91.
 +
*Marks, J. 1997. ''Scientific and folk ideas about heredity''. For: The Human Genome Project: Reaching Minority Communities in Maryland. http://personal.uncc.edu/jmarks/interests/Baltimore.html.
 +
*McKenna, M. C., and S. K. Bell. 1997. ''Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level.'' New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
 +
*Murphy, W. J., E. Eizirik, M. S. Springer, et al. 2001. “Resolution of the early placental mammal radiation using Bayesian phylogenetics.” ''Science'' 294 (5550): 2348-2351.
 +
*Nowak, R. M. 1999. ''Walker's Mammals of the World, Sixth Edition''. Johns Hopkins University Press.
 +
*Simpson, G. G. 1945. “The principles of classification and a classification of mammals.” ''Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History'' 85: 1–350.
 +
*Springer, M. S., M. J. Stanhope, O. Madsen, and W. W. de Jong. 2004. “Molecules consolidate the placental mammal tree.” ''Trends in Ecology and Evolution,'' 19: 430–438.
 +
*Vaughan, T. A., J. M. Ryan, and N. J. Capzaplewski. 2000. ''Mammalogy: Fourth Edition''. Saunders College Publishing.
 +
*Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (eds). 1993. ''Mammal Species of the World, Second Edition''. Smithsonian Institution Press.
  
{{dichotomouskey|Mammalia|Mammalia}}
 
  
*[http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/~alroy/nafmsd.html North American Fossil Mammal Systematics Database.]
 
*[http://paleocene-mammals.de/ Paleocene Mammals], a site covering the rise of the mammals
 
*[http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/Evolution.shtml Evolution of Mammals], a brief introduction to early mammals
 
*[http://home.arcor.de/ktdykes/mesomamm.htm The Evolution of Mesozoic Mammals, a Rough Sketch], an informal introduction
 
*[http://www.carnegiemnh.org/research/news.html Carnegie Museum of Natural History], some discoveries of early mammal fossils
 
*[http://www.geocities.com/mammal_taxonomy/index.html Mammal Taxonomy], database of mammals of the world, updated each month
 
*[http://nmnhgoph.si.edu/msw/ Mammal Species of the World], searchable online version of 2nd edition (1993) of ''Mammal Species of the World''
 
  
{{Mammals}}
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[[Category:Life sciences]][[Category:Animals]][[Category:Mammals]]
  
{{credit|32141275}}
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{{credit5|Mammal|47375460|Eutheria|43995227|Cetartiodactyla|46342550|Mammal_classification|47017271|Repenomamus|45748626|Neopallium|43712325}}
[[Category:Life sciences]]
 

Latest revision as of 00:57, 22 March 2014

Mammals
Mountain-Goat.jpg
Rocky Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertabrata
Class: Mammalia
Linnaeus, 1758
Orders

Mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of hair (or fur) and mammary glands, which in females produce milk for the nourishment of young. The other extant (living) classes of vertebrates (animals with backbones) include fish (with a few recognized classes), amphibians, reptiles, and birds.

Like birds, mammals are endothermic or "warm-blooded," and have four-chambered hearts. Mammals also have a diaphragm, a muscle below the rib cage that aids breathing. Some other vertebrates have a diaphragm, but mammals are the only vertebrates with a prehepatic diaphragm, that is, in front of the liver. Mammals are also the only vertebrates with a single bone in the lower jaw.

The choice of the word mammal to describe the class—rather than the presence of hair or a single bone in the lower jaw—is an interesting choice. In the eighteenth century, some scientists did refer to this group as hairy things, or "Pilosa" (now a designation for a group of placental mammals, including anteaters and sloths) (Marks 1997). But Carolus Linneaus provided the term Mammalia. Some authorities trace Linneaus choice to his advocacy of mothers' breastfeeding their own children, and indeed Linneaus authored a book on the issue (Marks 1997). Whatever the reason, this terminology ties mammals to a feature that is connected to a key mammalian characteristic: parental behavior. Although caring for young is evident in many animals, including crocodiles, it reaches a zenith in birds and mammals. Among the primates, human mothers spend more time with their infants than any other species.

There are three major subdivisions of mammals: monotremes, marsupials, and placentals. Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs, and include the platypuses and echidnas (spiny anteaters). Marsupials are generally characterized by the female having a pouch in which it rears its young through early infancy, as well as various reproductive traits that distinguish them from other mammals. Opossums, wombats, kangaroos, and wallabies are examples of marsupials. Placentals generally can be distinguished from other mammals in that the fetus is nourished during gestation via a placenta, although bandicoots (marsupial omnivores) are a conspicuous exception to this rule. About 5,500 living species of mammals have been identified.

Phylogenetically (classification based on evolutionary relatedness), Class Mammalia is defined as all descendants of the most recent common ancestor of monotremes and the therian mammals (Theria is a taxon that includes the closely affiliated marsupials and placentals).

Characteristics

Although all mammals are endothermic, this is not a defining feature of mammals, since this trait is shared with birds. However, the presence of hair is a unique mammalian characteristic. This filamentous outgrowth of the skin projects from the epidermis, though it grows from follicles deep in the dermis. In non-human species, hair is commonly referred to as fur. The presence of hair has helped mammals to maintain a stable core body temperature. Hair and endothermy has aided mammals in inhabiting a wide diversity of environments, from deserts to polar environments, and be active daytime and nighttime.

The amount of hair reflects the environment to which the animal is adapted. Polar bears have thick, water-repellent fur with hollow hairs that trap heat well. Whales have very limited hair in isolated areas, thus reducing drag in the water. Instead, they maintain internal temperatures with a thick layer of blubber (vascularized fat).

No mammals have hair that is naturally blue or green in color. Some cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), along with the mandrills, appear to have shades of blue skin. Many mammals are indicated as having blue hair or fur, but in all cases it will be found to be a shade of gray. The two-toed sloth can seem to have green fur, but this color is caused by algal growths.

Although monotremes are endothermic, their metabolic rates and body temperature are lower than that of most other mammals. Monotremes maintain an average temperature of around 32°C (90°F) compared to about 35°C (95°F) for marsupials and 38°C (100°F) for most placentals.

Mammals have integumentary systems made up of three layers: the outermost epidermis, the dermis, and the hypodermis. This characteristic is not unique to mammals, but is found in all vertebrates. The epidermis is typically ten to thirty cells thick, its main function being to provide a waterproof layer. Its outermost cells are constantly lost; its bottommost cells are constantly dividing and pushing upward. The middle layer, the dermis, is fifteen to forty times thicker than the epidermis. The dermis is made up of many components, such as bony structures and blood vessels. The hypodermis is made up of adipose tissue. Its job is to store lipids and to provide cushioning and insulation. The thickness of this layer varies widely from species to species.

Along with hair, the presence of mammary glands, for feeding milk to their young, is another defining feature of mammals. The monotremes do not have nipples, but they do have mammary glands. The milk is secreted via the skin onto a surface, where it can be sucked or lapped up by the newborn.

Most mammals give birth to live young, but the monotremes lay eggs. Live birth also occurs in some non-mammalian species, such as guppies and hammerhead sharks; thus, it is not a distinguishing characteristic of mammals.

Mammals have three bones in each ear and one (the dentary) on each side of the lower jaw; all other vertebrates with ears have one bone (the stapes) in the ear and at least three on each side of the jaw. A group of therapsids called cynodonts had three bones in the jaw, but the main jaw joint was the dentary and the other bones conducted sound. The extra jawbones of other vertebrates are thought to be homologous with the malleus and incus of the mammal ear.

Northern right whale dolphin (L. borealis)

All mammalian brains possess a neocortex (or neopallium) that is involved in higher functions, such as sensory perception, generation of motor commands, spatial reasoning, and in humans, language and conscious thought. This brain region is unique to mammals (as is a single bone in the lower jaw, and the prehepatic diaphragm, mentioned above).

Most mammals are terrestrial, but some are aquatic, including sirenia (manatees and dugongs) and the cetaceans. Whales are the largest of all animals. There are semi-aquatic species, such as seals, which come to land to breed but spend most of the time in water. Most cetaceans live in salt water, but there are some dolphin species that live in fresh water, such as the Amazon River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) that lives in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins.

True flight has evolved only once in mammals, the bats; mammals such as flying squirrels and flying lemurs are actually gliding animals.

Classification

Mammals represent a "class" of vertebrates, Mammalia. There are about 5,500 known species of mammals, which are distributed into various taxa, such as orders, families, genera, and so forth (see taxonomy). However, the division of mammals into taxa below the level of class varies considerably according to the classification scheme used. McKenna and Bell (1997) recognize 46 orders, 425 families, and 5,000 genera. Other systems recognize considerably less orders, families, and genera of mammals.

In general, class Mammalia can be divided into two main branches, the monotremes (sometimes labeled as the subclass, "Prototheria") and the "live-bearing mammals" (sometimes placed in the subclass "Theria"). The live-bearing mammals can be divided into two further taxa, the marsupials (sometimes labeled as infraclass Metatheria) and the placentals (infraclass Eutheria).

George Gaylord Simpson's Principles of Classification and a Classification of Mammals (1945) was an original authoritative source for the taxonomy of mammals. Simpson laid out a systematics of mammal origins and relationships that was universally taught until the end of the 20th century. Since Simpson's classification, the paleontological record has been recalibrated, and the intervening years have seen much debate and progress concerning the theoretical underpinnings of systematization itself, partly through the new concept of cladistics. Though fieldwork gradually made Simpson's classification outdated, for some time it remained the closest thing to an official classification of mammals.

The basic orders listed in the box at the top of the article, and in the subsection below, are based on the work of Simpson, and serve as a traditional way of organizing the orders of mammals.

Traditional classification of living orders

  • Subclass Monotremata
  • Subclass Marsupialia
    • Dasyuromorphia:  quolls, dunnarts, Numbat, Tasmanian Devil
    • Didelphimorphia:  opossums
    • Diprotodontia:  kangaroos, wallabies, possums, Koala, wombats
    • Microbiotheria:  Monito del Monte or Colocolo
    • Notoryctemorphia:  marsupial moles
    • Paucituberculata:  shrew opossums
    • Peramelemorphia:  bandicoots and bilbies
  • Subclass Eutheria/Placentalia
    • Afrosoricida:  golden moles of southern Africa and the tenrecs of Madagascar
    • Artiodactyla:  even-toed ungulates: hippos, camels, llamas, deer, giraffes, cattle, sheep, goats
    • Carnivora:  cat-like mammals (cats, mongooses, hyenas); dog-like mammals (dogs, skunks, weasels, seals, raccoons, bears)
    • Cetacea:  whales, porpoises, dolphins
    • Chiroptera:  bats
    • Dermoptera:  colugos
    • Hyracoidea:  hyraxes
    • Insectivora:  hedgehogs, shrews, moles
    • Lagomorpha:  rabbits, hares, pika
    • Macroscelidea:  elephant shrews or jumping shrews
    • Perissodactyla:  odd-toed ungulates (tapirs, rhinoceroses, horses)
    • Pholidota:  pangolins
    • Primates:  monkeys, lemurs, gibbon, orangutan, gorilla, human
    • Proboscidea:  elephants
    • Rodentia:  squirrels, woodchucks, mice, rats, muskrats
    • Scandentia:  treeshrews
    • Sirenia:  manatees and dugongs
    • Tubulidentata:  Aardvark
    • Xenarthra:  anteaters, sloths, and armadillos (originally with aardvark and pangolins in Order Edentata)


Order Rodentia has the most number of species, with more than one-third of known species. The bats (order Chiroptera) are the next most populous in terms of species, followed by Carnivora, Insectivora, and Primates. New mammal species continue to be found, although this taxon is fairly well known, relative to many other taxa, such as insects or fish.

A highly successful order, rodents are distributed worldwide, including terrestrial, tree dwelling, semi-aquatic, and underground habitats. Squirrels and their relatives (beavers, chipmunks, gophers, etc.) are generally placed in the suborder Sciuromorpha, and mouse-like rodents (rats, lemmings, mice, hamsters, etc.) are placed in the suborder Myomorphia.

Hoofed mammals are placed into two orders. The Artiodactyla are even-toed mammals and include pigs, camels, cattle, elk, deer, and the American bison, among others. The Perissodactyla are odd-toed mammals, including rhinoceroses, horses, zebras, and tapirs. Horses and zebras are placed together in the Family Equidae.

The members of the Order Insectivora—shrews, moles, and hedgehogs—tend to be most active at night, and feed on insects, as well as worms and spiders.

A pacific walrus

The Order Carnivora includes such well-known families as Canidae (dogs, wolves, coyotes, jackels), Felidae (tigers, lions, cats, jaguars), and Ursidae (brown bears, black bears, giant panda, sloth bear). Carnivora also includes skunks, weasels, badgers, otters, walruses, sea lions, seals, and racoons.

Seals, sea lions, and walruses are called pinnipeds ("fin feet") and are sometimes placed in their own order, Pinnipedia, rather than in the Order Carnivora with Pinnipedia as a suborder. Yet other taxonomists place pinnipeds in the suborder Caniformia, made up of the families Odobenidae (walruses), Otariidae (sea lions, eared seals, and fur seals), and Phocidae (true seals). In this case, Pinnipedia is considered as a superfamily.

In modern classification, the primates are generally divided into two suborders: Strepsirrhini, the "wet-nosed" primates, and Haplorrhini, the "dry-nosed" primates. The Strepsirrhini include the prosimians (except for the tarsiers), consisting of the lemur families, as well as the lorises, Aye-ayes, galagos, and the pottos. The suborder Haplorrhini include the prosimian tarsiers, as well as the New World monkeys (marmosets, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, capuchins) and the Old World primates. The Old World primates include the Old World monkeys (baboons, colobus monkeys, macaques), as well as the apes, gibbons, and humans.

McKenna/Bell classification

Biological classification generally seeks to reflect evolutionary relationships between organisms. For such reasons, it tends to be a dynamic rather than a static science, as taxonomies are continually changing as more information is obtained.

In 1997, the mammals were comprehensively revised by Malcolm McKenna and Susan Bell, which has resulted in the "McKenna/Bell classification."

McKenna and Bell's Classification of Mammals: Above the Species Level (1997) is one of the more comprehensive works to date on the systematics, relationships, and occurrences of all mammal taxa, living and extinct, down through the rank of genus. Many paleontologists quickly accepted this new system. McKenna inherited the project from Simpson and, with Bell, constructed a completely updated hierarchical system, one that reflects the assumed historical genealogy of Mammalia.

Below is a synopsis of part of the McKenna/Bell classification. Extinct groups are represented by a dagger (†).

Class Mammalia

  • Subclass Prototheria: monotremes: platypuses and echidnas
  • Subclass Theriiformes: live-bearing mammals and their prehistoric relatives
    • Infraclass †Allotheria: multituberculates
    • Infraclass †Triconodonta: triconodonts
    • Infraclass Holotheria: modern live-bearing mammals and their prehistoric relatives
      • Supercohort Theria: live-bearing mammals
        • Cohort Marsupialia: marsupials
          • Magnorder Australidelphia: Australian marsupials and the Monito del Monte
          • Magnorder Ameridelphia: New World marsupials
        • Cohort Placentalia: placentals
          • Magnorder Xenarthra: xenarthrans
          • Magnorder Epitheria: epitheres

Molecular classification of placentals

Molecular studies by molecular systematists, based on DNA analysis, have suggested new relationships among mammal taxa. One classification based on molecular studies points to four groups or lineages of placental mammals that diverged from early common ancestors in the Cretaceous.

Lar gibbon

In this classification, the first divergence was that of the Afrotheria 110–100 million years ago. The Afrotheria proceeded to evolve and diversify in the isolation of the African-Arabian continent. The Xenarthra, isolated in South America, diverged from the Boreoeutheria approximately 100–95 million years ago. The Boreoeutheria split into the Laurasiatheria and Euarchontoglires between 95 and 85 million years ago; both of these groups evolved on the northern continent of Laurasia.

After tens of millions of years of relative isolation, Africa-Arabia collided with Eurasia, and the formation of the Isthmus of Panama linked South America and North America, facilitating the distribution of mammals seen today. With the exception of bats and murine rodents, no placental land mammals reached Australasia until the first human settlers arrived approximately 50,000 years ago.

However, it should be noted that these molecular results are still controversial, mainly because they are not reflected by morphological data and thus not accepted by many systematists. It is also important to note that fossil taxa are not, and in most cases cannot be, included. Although there are instances of DNA being recovered from prehistoric mammals, such as the ground sloth Mylodon and Neanderthal humans, Homo neanderthalensis, fossils can generally only be used in morphological analyses.

The following taxonomy only includes living placentals (infraclass Eutheria):

  • Group I: Afrotheria
    • Clade Afro-insectiphillia
      • Order Macroscelidea: elephant shrews (Africa).
      • Order Afrosoricida: tenrecs and golden moles (Africa)
      • Order Tubulidentata: aardvark (Africa south of the Sahara).
    • Clade Paenungulata
      • Order Hyracoidea: hyraxes or dassies (Africa, Arabia).
      • Order Proboscidea: elephants (Africa, Southeast Asia).
      • Order Sirenia: dugong and manatees (cosmopolitcan tropical)
  • Group II: Xenarthra
    • Order Xenarthra: sloths and anteaters (Neotropical) and armadillos (Neotropical and Nearctic)
  • Clade Boreoeutheria
    • Group III: Euarchontoglires (Supraprimates)
      • Superorder Euarchonta
        • Order Scandentia: treeshrews (Southeast Asia).
        • Order Dermoptera: flying lemurs or colugos (Southeast Asia).
        • Order Primates: lemurs, bushbabies, monkeys, apes (cosmopolitan).
      • Superorder Glires
        • Order Lagomorpha: pikas, rabbits, hares (Eurasia, Africa, Americas).
        • Order Rodentia: rodents (cosmopolitan)
    • Group IV: Laurasiatheria
      • Order Insectivora: moles, hedgehogs, shrews, solenodons
      • Order Chiroptera: bats (cosmopolitan)
      • Order Cetartiodactyla: cosmopolitan; includes former orders Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates, including pigs, hippopotamus, camels, giraffe, deer, antelope, cattle, sheep, goats).
      • Order Perissodactyla: odd-toed ungulates
      • Clade Fera]
        • Order Pholidota: pangolins or scaly anteaters (Africa, South Asia).
        • Order Carnivora: carnivores (cosmopolitan)

The Cetartiodactyla is a hypothesized order to which whales (including dolphins) and even-toed ungulates are proposed to belong. The term was coined by merging the name for the two orders, Cetacea and Artiodactyla, into a single word. The term Cetartiodactyla is most commonly used to describe the hypothesis that whales evolved from within the artiodactyls. Under this definition, their closest living land relative is thought to be the hippopotamus. Alternatively, the term Cetartiodactlya is used to denote a clade where Cetacea and Artiodactyla are sister groups, but where Cetacea did not actually evolve from within the Artiodactyla. Under this definition, all artiodactyls, including hippos, are more closely related to one another than any are to the whales.

Origins

Evidence from fossils and comparative anatomy suggest that mammals evolved from therapsid reptiles during the Triassic period (approximately 200-250 million years ago). The therapsids, which first appeared in the fossil record near the end of the Paleozoic era, about 280 million years ago, had both reptilian and mammalian characteristics. The oldest mammalian fossil is from about 200 million years ago, in the Mesozoic era at the end of the Triassic period (see geologic time scale).

Mammals belong among the amniotes (vertebrates that have membranous sacs that surround and protect the embryo) and in particular to a sub-group called the synapsids. Synapsids are distinguished by the shape of their skulls, in particular the presence of a single hole on each side where jaw muscles attach, called temporal fenestra. In comparison, dinosaurs, birds, and most reptiles are diapsids, with two temporal fenestrae on each side of the skull. Turtles, with no temporal fenestra, are anapsids. Synapsid therapsids, the assumed ancestors of mammals, became common during the Permian period at the end of the Paleozoic era. (Sauropsids is the name given to the sub-group of amniotes that are not synapsids—dinosaurs, birds, modern reptiles, and most extinct reptiles, exluding those that are synapsids.)

Pre-mammalian ears began evolving in the late Permian to early Triassic to their current state, as three tiny bones (incus, malleus, and stapes) inside the skull; accompanied by the transformation of the lower jaw into a single bone. Other animals, including reptiles and pre-mammalian synapsids and therapsids, have several bones in the lower jaw. This transition is evidence of mammalian evolution from reptilian beginnings: from a single ear bone, and several lower jaw bones (for example the sailback pelycosaur, Dimetrodon) to progressively smaller "hearing jaw bones" (for example the cynodont, Probainognathus), and finally (possibly with Morganucodon, but definitely with Hadrocodium), true mammals with three ear bones in the skull and a single lower jaw bone. Hence pelycosaurs and cynodonts are sometimes called "mammal-like reptiles," but this is strictly incorrect as these two are not reptiles but synapsids.

During the Mesozoic Period, mammals appeared to diversify into four main groups: multituberculates (Allotherium), monotremes, marsupials, and placentals. Multituberculates went extinct during the Oligocene, about 30 million years ago, but the three other mammal groups are all represented today.

The designations Prototheria, Metatheria, and Eutheria reflect the theory that Placentalia were descendants of Marsupialia, which were in turn descendants of Monotremata. However, this theory is now is disfavor. Nonetheless, the terms Eutheria and Metatheria remain in common use in paleontology, especially with regards to mammals of the Mesozoic.

Repenomamus, the largest mammal known from the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic, and the only one with evidence that it ate dinosaurs.

Based on the fossil record, most early mammals appear to have remained small and shrew-like throughout the Mesozoic, but rapidly developed into larger, more diverse forms following the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event 65 million years ago, at the time of the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Although early mammals are commonly portrayed as small animals that fed on insects and lived in the shadow of dinosaurs, Hu et. al. (2005) report the finding of a fossil of a Mesozoic mammal (Repenomanusu) that is more than one meter in length, with the remains of a baby dinosaur in its stomach. They suggest that larger mammals may have competed with the dinosaurs for food and territory.

During the next eight million years, in the Paleocene period (64–58 million years ago), the fossil record suggests that mammals exploded into the ecological niches left by the extinction of the dinosaurs. Small rodent-like mammals still dominated, but medium and larger-sized mammals also appeared.

A possible mammal evolutionary progression is:

  • Reptiliomorpha: Early Carboniferous period
  • Pelycosaurs (synapsids, or "mammal-like reptiles"): late Carboniferous period to very early Triassic period
  • Therapsids: Early Permian-Triassic includes dicynodonts, dinocephalia, etc.)
  • Cynodonts: Permian-Cretaceous Paleocene?
  • Mammaliformes: Mid-Triassic to Early Oligocene (includes non-therian mammals)
  • Mammals: mid-Jurassic period to today (Monotremes, Metatheria, and Eutheria)

References
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  • Bergsten, J. 2005. “A review of long-branch attraction.” Cladistics 21: 163–193.
  • Hu, Y., J. Meng, Y. Wang, and C. Li. 2005. “Large Mesozoic mammals fed on young dinosaurs.” Nature 433 (7022): 149-152.
  • Kriegs, J. O., G. Churakov, M. Kiefmann, U. Jordan, J. Brosius, and J. Schmitz. 2006. “Retroposed elements as archives for the evolutionary history of placental mammals.” PLoS Biol 4 (4): 91.
  • Marks, J. 1997. Scientific and folk ideas about heredity. For: The Human Genome Project: Reaching Minority Communities in Maryland. http://personal.uncc.edu/jmarks/interests/Baltimore.html.
  • McKenna, M. C., and S. K. Bell. 1997. Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
  • Murphy, W. J., E. Eizirik, M. S. Springer, et al. 2001. “Resolution of the early placental mammal radiation using Bayesian phylogenetics.” Science 294 (5550): 2348-2351.
  • Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, Sixth Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Simpson, G. G. 1945. “The principles of classification and a classification of mammals.” Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 85: 1–350.
  • Springer, M. S., M. J. Stanhope, O. Madsen, and W. W. de Jong. 2004. “Molecules consolidate the placental mammal tree.” Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 19: 430–438.
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  • Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (eds). 1993. Mammal Species of the World, Second Edition. Smithsonian Institution Press.

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