Lab 5: Mammal Species Flashcards
Infraclass Synapsida*
Prototheria*
Prototheria* – primitive group possessing a mixture of reptilian and mammalian characteristics. Adults lack functional teeth. Reptilian features include egg-laying; cloaca (single duct from which both the excretory and urogenital systems empty); primitive pectoral girdle. Mammalian characteristics include hair; mammary glands (lacking nipples); jaw structure; endothermy.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Prototheria*
Order Monotremata*
(spiny anteater, duck-billed platypus) – found today only in the Australian region (fossils also known from South America).
Spiny anteaters have strong snout and long, sticky tongue for rooting for insects and worms; long claws for digging; body covered with spines.
Duck-billed platypus is semi-aquatic, with snout elongated into a flattened bill covered with moist leathers skin; tail dorsoventrally flattened; feed webbed for swimming; feeds on aquatic invertebrates and fish.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Theria*
live-bearing; possess mammary glands with nipples; pectoral girdle greatly reduced; functional teeth usually present.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Theria*
Metatheria*
mammals whose young are born in a premature condition and complete development while carried by the female, usually in a marsupium located on the abdomen; mammary glands open into marsupium; cloaca modified to allow some separation of excretory and reproductive system outlets.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Superorder Marsupialia*
(marsupials; including wallabies, kangaroos, opossums, Tasmanian wolf and devil, bandicoots, phalangers, koalas, wombats, etc.)– marsupials are an immensely varied group, including species adapted for climbing, hopping, burrowing, grazing and predation. There are many examples of convergent evolution with eutherians. Once found worldwide; now restricted to the Australian region and the New World (opossums).
Infraclass Synapsida*
Eutheria*
live-bearing mammals possessing a true placenta; no marsupium; cloaca absent in all but a few primitive forms; mammary glands with nipples.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Eutheria*
Order Edentata*
(armadillos, tree sloths, anteaters) – medium-sized mammals, primarily found in South America, most nocturnal. Most primitive living eutherians. Some with greatly enlarged front claws, whether for digging or hanging in trees; no incisors or canines. Armadillos are mainly terrestrial, while anteater may be terrestrial or arboreal; both feed primarily on termites and other soft-bodied invertebrates. Sloths are completely arboreal and feed on leaves, buds, and fruit.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Eutheria*
Order Pholidota
(pangolins) – small to medium –sized; overlapping scales covering most of the body; head elongate and teeth absent; long, thin, muscular tongue; long claws. Feed primarily on termites and other insects. May be arboreal or fossorial (burrowing). Found in tropical forests and grasslands in Africa and Asia.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Eutheria*
Order Lagomorpha*
(pikas, rabbits and hares) – small to medium-sized mammals with medium to large external ears; tail short or absent; soles of feet haired; two pairs of upper incisors; incisors completely covered by enamel and grow continuously; diastema (gap) in place of canines. All herbivorous and terrestrial, with some burrowing forms.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Eutheria*
Order Rodentia*
(gnawing mammals including squirrels, pocket gophers, beavers, rats, mice, gerbils, lemmings, jumping mice, New World porcupines, chinchillas, agoutis, voles, hamsters, etc.) – mostly small, possessing only one pair of upper incisors; incisors grow continuously; diastema (gap) in place of canines. Adapted to most terrestrial habitats. Most are herbivorous, some are omnivorous.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Eutheria*
Order Insectivora*
(hedgehogs, moles, shrews) – small primitive placentals with reduced external ears and small eyes. Mostly nocturnal and burrowing. Most are truly insectivorous, although some are carnivorous or omnivorous.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Eutheria*
Order Primates*
(lemurs, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, humans) – mammals of varying size possessing highly developed cerebral hemispheres; eye sockets surrounded by bone and directed forward; limbs with ball and socket type of articulation; typically, with five digits on each limb and opposable thumbs and toes. Most are omnivorous, although some are primarily carnivorous or insectivorous. More primitive species are nocturnal. Most species arboreal; some with prehensile tail and/or long forelimbs for swinging. Found worldwide but restricted to tropical forests and grasslands.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Eutheria*
Order Chiroptera*
(bats) – true flying mammals; bones of the palm and fingers greatly elongated and covered by a double membrane which is connected to the body and extends posteriorly to the ankle; many with a further membrane between hind feet surrounding the tail. Most bats are insectivorous although many tropical and semitropical forms are specialized for eating pollen, fruit, blood, fish or small vertebrates. Many either hibernate or migrate; most are nocturnal and navigate and hunt using echolocation.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Eutheria*
Order Carnivora*
(carnivores, including dogs, cats, bears, raccoons, weasels, hyenas, sea lions, walrus, seals) – medium to large mammals with small incisors and large, sharp canines; all predatory. Terrestrial carnivores have at least four claws on fore and hind feet. Found in all environments; some well-adapted to arboreal life. Aquatic carnivores (pinnipeds) breed on land; have webbed limbs modified into flippers; large eyes; tail and external ears reduced to absent; teeth typically homodont; blubber for insulation. Note: most texts separate out the pinnipeds into a separate order, although Pough et al. does not.
Infraclass Synapsida*
Eutheria*
Order Artiodactyla*
(even-toed hoofed mammals – swine, hippos, camels, deer, giraffe, antelope, sheep, goats, cattle) – large mammals; limbs end with modified third and fourth digits covered with hoof; upper incisors reduced or absent; many with horns or antlers. Most are herbivorous grazers in woods and open grasslands and have complex grinding teeth, many with ruminating foreguts.
