Mammal

Warm-blooded vertebrates that suckle their young.

What it means

Mammals share three traits no other group has: mammary glands with which they feed their young, hair — though in whales and dolphins it is reduced to a few bristles on the foetus — and a middle ear of three small bones. Beyond that they are an extraordinarily diverse group, with forms ranging from a two-gram bat to the blue whale, and they have colonised the ground, the trees, the soil, the air and the open sea. It is the class that receives the most conservation attention, and also the one whose status is best known.

Species

Vulnerable

Mountain Zebra

Equus zebra

Least Concern

Large Hairy Armadillo

Chaetophractus villosus

Endangered

Lion-tailed Macaque

Macaca silenus

Endangered

Hispid Hare

Caprolagus hispidus

Least Concern

Himalayan Marmot

Marmota himalayana

Critically Endangered

Brush-tailed Bettong

Bettongia penicillata

Least Concern

Brown Antechinus

Antechinus stuartii

Vulnerable

Bilby

Macrotis lagotis

Vulnerable

Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby

Petrogale penicillata

Least Concern

Short-tailed Gymnure

Hylomys suillus

Endangered

Cuban Solenodon

Solenodon cubanus

Least Concern

Rufous Elephant Shrew

Elephantulus rufescens

Least Concern

Four-toed Hedgehog

Atelerix albiventris

Least Concern

Large Flying-fox

Pteropus giganteus

Critically Endangered

Pygmy Three-toed Sloth

Bradypus pygmaeus

Near Threatened

Lesser Long-nosed Bat

Leptonycteris yerbabuenae

Least Concern

Ghost-Faced Bat

Mormoops megalophylla

Critically Endangered

Southern Muriqui

Brachyteles arachnoides

Least Concern

Seba's Short-tailed Bat

Carollia perspicillata

Least Concern

Big Brown Bat

Eptesicus fuscus

Least Concern

Southern Mountain Viscacha

Lagidium viscacia

Least Concern

Plains Pocket Gopher

Geomys bursarius

Least Concern

Common Vole

Microtus arvalis

Least Concern

Hazel Dormouse

Muscardinus avellanarius

See all 723 species with this tag

Natural phenomena

Fruit bat migration at KasankaBest time to see jaguars in the PantanalNarwhal migration to Baffin BayGreat Migration: the Mara River crossingElephant seal breeding season in CaliforniaGrey whales calving in the lagoons of Baja CaliforniaDry season in the OkavangoGreat Migration: calving season at NdutuHumpback whale season in HawaiiIberian lynx mating seasonBrown bears fishing for salmon at Brooks FallsHumpback whale season in TongaOrcas and whales following the herring in the Norwegian fjordsSouthern right whales at Peninsula ValdesRed deer rut in ScotlandBlue whale watching in Sri LankaSnow leopard mating seasonUrban bat colony under Congress Avenue BridgeWalrus haulout on Round IslandNorth Atlantic right whales feeding in Cape Cod BaySnow monkeys in the Jigokudani hot springsBest time to see giant otters in the PantanalBest time to see Amazon river dolphins