CONTENTS What Is a Mammal How to Use This Book 6 9 10 11 Marine Mammals Narwhal Beluga Bottlenose Dolphin Harbor Porpoise Orca Whale Blue Whale California Sea Lion Southern Elephant Seal Hawaiian Monk Seal Walrus West Indian Manatee Dugong Rodents Desert Kangaroo Rat Eastern Gray Squirrel Muskrat American Beaver Yellow Bellied Marmot Brazilian Porcupine Naked Mole Rat Capybara.36.37 38.39 40.41 42 43 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Rabbits and Their Relatives Eastern Cottontail Rabbit American Pika Arctic Hare Snowshoe Hare 44.45 46.47 Bears American Black Bear Brown Bear Giant Panda Polar Bear 20 21 22.23 24 Cat Family Felines Puma Ocelot Canadian Lynx Bobcat Tiger African Lion Cheetah Snow Leopard 25 26 27 28..29 30 31 Other Small Mammals Northern River Otter 48 Sea Otter 49 American Mink.50 Black Footed Ferret.51 Wolverine 52 Honey Badger.53 Striped Skunk 54 Raccoon 55 Dwarf Mongoose 56 Meerkat.57 Two Toed Sloth 58 Three Toed Sloth.59 Dog Family Canines Gray Wolf Arctic Fox African Wild Dog Dingo 32 33..34 35
Insectivores Aardvark 60 Giant Anteater.61 European Hedgehog.62 Star Nosed Mole.63 Short Eared Elephant Shrew 64 American Pygmy Shrew.65 Screaming Hairy Armadillo 66 Tree Pangolin.67.84.85 86 87 88 89 Hoofed Mammals American Bison Mountain Goat Thomson's Gazelle White Tailed Deer Moose Caribou Warthog Hippopotamus Giraffe Dromedary Camel Przewalski's Horse Grevy's Zebra Malayan Tapir Sumatran Rhinoceros 90 91 Bats Bumblebee Bat Mexican Free Tailed Bat Jamaican Fruit Bat Honduran White Bat Indian Flying Fox Vampire Bat 92 93 94 95 96 68 69.70 71.72.73 97 Elephants African Elephant Asian Elephant 98 99.74.75.76 Primates Gray Mouse Lemur Ring Tailed Lemur Central American Spider Monkey Black Howler Monkey Guinea Baboon Mandrill Chimpanzee Bonobo Western Lowland Gorilla Sumatran Orangutan Marsupials Red Kangaroo Bennett's Wallaby Common Wombat Koala Virginia Opossum Tasmanian Devil.78 79 80 81.82.83 100 101 102 103 104 105 Monotremes Platypus Short Beaked Echidna 106 107 Glossary To Learn More Photo Credits 108 109 110
4 WHAT IS A MAMMAL There are more than 5,000 species of mammals on Earth They are a diverse group yet they have several things in common All mammals are vertebrates they have a backbone They are also warm blooded which means they produce their own body heat and do not have to rely on the sun or outside temperature to stay warm All mammals have hair For some mammals the hair helps to keep them warm Fur colors or patterns help to camouflage some mammals in their environments keeping them safe from predators Almost all mammals give birth to live young The only exceptions are platypuses and echidnas These two mammals lay eggs WHERE ARE MAMMALS FOUND Mammals are found on every continent and in every ocean They are considered some of the planet's most adaptable creatures They live in a wide range of habitats including the cold and icy Arctic regions the arid hot deserts of Africa rain forests and mountaintops In fact mammals are found in every land habitat on Earth Some of these include Above or below ground and some mammals split their time between both Some mammals live their whole lives in trees Other mammals spend their whole lives in the ocean or near the ocean
WHAT CAN MAMMALS DO AND WHAT ARE THEY LIKE Mammals can run jump fly hop pounce climb swing burrow swim walk dive and scurry They vary in size from the tiny American pygmy shrews and bumblebee bats to the elephants and enormous blue whales Many male mammals are larger than their female counterparts Mammals have diverse diets too Many are carnivores while others are herbivores omnivores or insectivores The behavior of mammals differs also Some mammals live alone throughout most of their lives They may only spend time with others of their species during mating season or when they are young or raising young Other mammals live in highly organized social groups In addition some species spend time hunting and moving during the day These mammals are known as diurnal Others are nocturnal or only active at night And some are crepuscular which means they are only active at dusk and dawn 5
