Classification of mammals

1. (UPTO ORDER)

2. “Classification” – arrangement of organisms in taxonomic
groups according to their observed similarities.
Tracing the class Mammalia
“Life” - an organismic state characterized by capacity for
metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction
Three domain classification by Carl Woes (1980)

4. 1. Hair-clad
2. Terrestrial
3. Air-breathing
4. 2 pairs of limbs
5. Glands: sweat, scent, mammary
6. Diaphragm
7. Heart 4 chambered
8. Parental care well developed
9. Brain well developed
10. Sexes separate, etc.

5. By George Gaylord Simpson (1945)
Characters taken into consideration:
1. Parental care
2. Dentition
3. Foot posture
4. Nails, Claws, & Hoofs (exoskeleton)
5. Nervous system (Brain)
6. Systematics
 18 living orders divided into 2 sub-classes

6. General characters:
1. No pinna
2. Cloaca is present
3. Mammary glands lack nipples
4. No corpus callosum
5. Oviparous
6. Testes are abdominal
Order: Monotremata
Example: Duck-billed Platypus, Echidna.

7. General characters:
1. Viviparous
2. Pinna present
3. Nipples/Teats present
4. Teeth present
5. Testes in scrotal sac
6. Oviduct opens into vagina
Divided into 2 infra-class: Metatheria & Eutheria

8. General characters:
1. Marsupium/brood pouch pr.
2. Vagina & uterus are double
3. Rudimentary yolk-sac placenta
Order: Marsupialia
Example: Opposum, Kangaroo,etc.

9. General characters:
1. Higher viviparous
2. Corpus callosum pr.
3. Testes pr. in scrotal sac
4. Single vagina
5. Embryo nourished by allantoic placenta
6. Young one is born in a relatively advanced state
Divided into 16 orders

10. General characters:
1. Small animals
2. Feet: 5 toed, plantigrade
3. Nocturnal
4. Placenta discoidal
5. Snout long and tapering
6. Insectivorous
7. Molars pointed and peg like
Example: Mole, hedgehogs,etc

11. General characters:
1. Gliding mammal
2. Incisor: 2/3
3. Nocturnal
4. Equal sized limbs, and tail included in the patagium
Ex: “Flying Lemurs”

12. General characters:
1. Forelimbs => wings (patagia)
2. Hindlimbs short included in membrane
3. Ears with large pinnae
4. Nocturnal
5. True flight
6. Teeth small, sharp, peg-like
7. Vision weak
8. Sternum has keel
Example: Flying fox, vampire bat, etc.

13. General characters:
1. Only molars pr. or teeth abs.
2. Testes are abdominal
3. Toes with large, strong, curved claws
Example: Sloth, Anteater, etc.

14. General characters:
1. Body covered with large overlapping horny scales
2. Snout is elongated
3. Tongue is long, sticky & protrusible
4. Hairs are sparse (between scales)
5. Ears are reduced
6. Nocturnal
Ex: Pangolin (scaly-anteater)

15. General characters:
1. Body stout & pig-like
2. Snout is long and tubular
3. Tongue slender, sticky & protrusible
4. Ears are long & erect
5. Digits 4 to 5 with heavy claws
Ex: Aardvark or Cape anteater

16. General characters:
1. Primitive mammals
2. Cerebrum is large & convoluted
3. Five digits with flat nails
4. Opposable thumb
5. Eyes directed forward
6. Plantigrade
Suborder: Lemuroidea, Tarsioidea & Anthropoidea
Anthropoidea has two infra-orders:
1. Platyrhina (new world monkeys)
2. Catarrhina (old world monkeys)

17. Ex: Lemur, Tarsier, marmoset, gorilla, homo sapiens,etc.

18. General characters:
1. Small gnawing mammals
2. One pair of long, rootless, chisel-like incisors on both jaws
3. Digits with claws
4. No canines; Diastema
Ex: beaver, prairie dog, etc.

19. General characters:
1. Tibia is fused with fibula
2. Soles of feet are hairy
3. Testes are in scrotum
4. Second pair of small upper
incisors behind first pair of
large chisel-like incisors
Ex: rabbit, hare, pika

20. General characters:
1. Large, marine, fish-like
2. Forelimbs => paddle-like flippers
3. Tail => horizontal, propulsion
4. Hind limbs & external ear abs.
5. Skull bones are spongy and contain oil
Divided into Odontoceti (toothed) & Mysticeti (whalebone)
Ex: porpoise, blue whale, etc.

21. General characters:
1. Large, clumsy, aquatic
2. No hind limbs
3. Fore limbs paddle like
4. Muzzle blunt
5. Stomach complex
6. Testes are abdominal
Ex: Manatee, Dugong.

22. General characters:
1. Predatory, flesh-eating
2. Claws well developed
3. Canines large, molars well developed
4. Clavicles reduced
Divided in two suborders:
1. Fissipedia (terrestrial)
2. Pinnipedia (aquatic)

23. General characters:
1. Feet with separate toes
2. Canines are strong and large
3. Incisors: feeble and 6 on each
jaw
4. Last premolar in the lower jaw
=> carnassial teeth
Ex: wolf, cat, etc.

24. General characters:
1. Marine carnivore
2. Reduced tail
3. Torpedo-shaped body
4. Limbs paddle-like
Ex: walrus, seal, etc.

25. General characters:
1. Small guinea-pigs like mammals
2. Snout, ears & legs short
3. Mammae are 6 pair
4. Clavicles are abs.
5. No canines
6. 4 toes on front and 3 on hind foot
Ex: Hyrax.

26. General characters:
1. Largest living land animal
2. Massive ears
3. Nail-like hoofs
4. Trunk pr.
5. Thick & practically hairless skin
6. 2 upper incisors elongated to form tusks
Ex: African & Asian Elephant

27. General characters:
1. Odd-toed ungulates
2. Functional axis => middle or
third digit
3. Stomach simple
4. Incisors pr. on both jaws
Ex: horse, rhino, etc.

28. General characters:
1. Even-toed ungulates
2. Axis => third & fourth toes
3. Ruminant stomach
4. Incisors & canines abs. in upper jaw
5. Antlers/ horns pr.
Ex: Okapi, pig, etc.

29.  Molecular classification of placentals: Afrotheria, Xenartha &
Boreoeutheria (Laurasiatheria & Euarchontoglires)
 Standardized classification by Vaughan et al. (2000)
1. Infra-class: Metatheria:
i. Order: Didelphimorpha (opossum)
ii. Paucitubercuata (shrew opossum)
iii. Microbiotheria (monito del monte)
iv. Dasyuromorphia (carnivorous marsupial)
v. Peramelemorphia (marsupial moles)
vi. Diprotodontia (kangaroo)
2. Eutheria:
i. Xenartha (anteater, sloth, armadillo)
ii. Scandentia (tree shrews)
iii. Macroscelida (elephant shrew)
 McKenna/Bell classification (1997)

30. Modern textbook of zoology: Vertebrates by R. L.
Kotpal
Chordate Zoology by Jordan & Verma
Mammals of the world by Michael Boorer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammal_classificatio
n
Images from the internet