List of mammal genera

There are currently 1258 genera, 156 families, 29 orders, and around 5937 recognized living species of mammal.[1] Mammalian taxonomy is in constant flux as many new species are described and recategorized within their respective genera and families. The taxonomy represented here is a compilation of the most logical and up-to-date information on mammalian taxonomy from many sources, the main ones being the HMW series and the Mammals Species of the World by Wilson and Reeder.

Afrosoricida

Tenrecs (Tenrecidae, included in the Suborder Tenrecomorpha) and golden moles (Chrysochloridae, included in Suborder Chrysochloridea) are part of the African radiation of mammals known as Afrotheria, and their distribution consists of Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. There are 55 species in 21 genera; 34 species are tenrecs and otter shrews, and the other 21 species are golden moles. tenrecs have a large diversity of species in Madagascar, with 31 species found there, while the 3 other species are found in the Central and West African Rain Forests. The 20 species of golden mole are found mostly in the East and South African Savannas and Desserts.

Artiodactyla

Artiodactyla is a large order of hoofed mammals, the even-toed ungulates. They are found nearly cosmopolitan, although no species are native to Australia or Antarctica. Broken into four suborder, Tylopoda (including Camelidae), Suina (including Suidae and Tayassuidae), Whippomorpha (including Hippopotamidae), and Ruminantia, which contains two Infraorders, Tragulina (including Tragulidae) and Pecora (including Moschidae, Cervidae, Bovidae, Antilocapridae, and Giraffidae). The higher taxonomy used for this order is based primarily on the Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Volume 2 on Hoofed Mammals, including the subfamily and tribal affiliations in each family. The Order includes about 242 recognized species, along with 6 recently extinct species. Groves and Grubbs Taxonomy of Ungulates[2] is used as a minor reference for the Bovids.

Carnivora

The Order Carnivora is represented by 16 families of mostly carnivorous and omnivorous mammals found worldwide terrestrially and in marine waters of the poles and some areas of the tropics. Divided into 2 large Suborders, Caniformia (Canidae, Ursidae, Ailuridae, Procyonidae, Mephitidae, Mustelidae, and the Pinnipeds, Otariidae, Phocidae, and Odobenidae) and Feliformia (Nandiniidae, Felidae, Prionodontidae, Viverridae, Hyaenidae, Herpestidae, and Eupleridae), the order contains about 289 recognized species, along with 4 recently extinct species, one of which is included in its own monotypic genus, Dusicyon. Tribe and Subfamily taxonomy comes mostly from the first volume of the Handbook of the Mammals of the World on Carnivores for the terrestrial species, and the 4th volume on Marine Mammals for the 3 marine families.

Cetacea

Cetacea is the largest order of marine mammal, with 92 extant species (one of which, the baiji, may be extinct), and is found in every ocean on the planet along with many inland rivers systems. The order is split into to Suborder, Mysticeti (including Balaenidae, Neobalaenidae, Eschrichtiidae, and Balaenopteridae) and Odontoceti (including Physeteridae, Kogiidae, Ziphiidae, Platanistidae, Iniidae, Lipotidae, Pontoporiidae, Monodontidae, Delphinidae, and Phocoenidae), which include a total of 14 families, most of which have few representative species. The taxonomy here is exemplified by the 4th volume of the Handbook of the Mammals of the World on Marine Mammals.

Chiroptera

Cingulata

Dasyuromorphia

Dermoptera

Didelphimorphia

Diprotodontia

Eulipotyphla

Hyracoidea

Lagomorpha

Macroscelidea

Microbiotheria

Monotremata

Notoryctemorphia

Paucituberculata

Peramelemorphia

Perissodactyla

Pholidota

Pilosa

Primates

Proboscidea

Rodentia

Scandentia

Sirenia

Tubulidentata

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Tree of Life Web Project". Tolweb.org. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  2. ↑ Groves, Colin; Grubb, Peter (2011). Ungulate Taxonomy. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 1421400936.
  3. ↑ "www.bucknell.edu/msw3". Bucknell.edu. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
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