There are currently 1,258 genera, 161 families, 27 orders, and around 5,937 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 Handbook of the Mammals of the World series and Mammal Species of the World.

Afrosoricida edit

Suborder Tenrecomorpha edit

Suborder Chrysochloridea edit

Carnivora edit

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 two 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.

Suborder Caniformia edit

Suborder Feliformia edit

Cetartiodactyla edit

Cetartiodactyla is a large order of hoofed mammals, the even-toed ungulates, and aquatic mammals, cetaceans. Cetacea was found to be nested within "Artiodactlya" and has now been moved into that order, whose name is now Cetartiodactyla[2] Even-toed ungulates are found nearly world-wide, although no species are native to Australia or Antarctica. Broken into four suborders, Tylopoda (including Camelidae), Suina (including Suidae and Tayassuidae), Whippomorpha (including Hippopotamidae and the infraorder Cetacea), and Ruminantia, which contains two infraorders, Tragulina (including Tragulidae) and Pecora (including Moschidae, Cervidae, Bovidae, Antilocapridae, and Giraffidae). The higher taxonomy used for the ungulates of 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 ungulate species, along with 6 recently extinct species. Groves and Grubbs Taxonomy of Ungulates[3] is used as a minor reference for the Bovids. Cetacea contains 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.

Suborder Tylopoda edit

Suborder Suina edit

Suborder Whippomorpha edit

Suborder Ruminantia edit

Chiroptera edit

The order Chiroptera comprises bats and is the second largest order of mammals, containing about 1,240 species of bats, which is around 20% of all mammal species.

Suborder Yangochiroptera edit

Suborder Yinpterochiroptera edit

Cingulata edit

Dasyuromorphia edit

The order Dasyuromorphia (meaning "hairy tail") comprises most of the Australian carnivorous marsupials, including quolls, dunnarts, the numbat, the Tasmanian devil, and the thylacine. There are 73 living species in this order, 72 of which belong to the family Dasyuridae and the numbat, of the family Myrmecobiidae.

Dermoptera edit

Colugos are arboreal gliding mammals found in Southeast Asia. Just two extant species, the Sunda flying lemur and the Philippine flying lemur, make up the entire order Dermoptera.

Didelphimorphia edit

Order Didelphimorphia is composed of 1 family and 18 genera.

Diprotodontia edit

Suborder Vombatiformes edit

Suborder Phalangeriformes edit

Suborder Macropodiformes edit

Eulipotyphla edit

Hyracoidea edit

Lagomorpha edit

Macroscelidea edit

Microbiotheria edit

Monotremata edit

Notoryctemorphia edit

Paucituberculata edit

Peramelemorphia edit

Perissodactyla edit

Suborder Hippomorpha edit

Suborder Ceratomorpha edit

Pholidota edit

Pilosa edit

Suborder Vermilingua edit

Suborder Folivora edit

Primates edit

Suborder Haplorhini edit

Suborder Strepsirrhini edit

Proboscidea edit

Rodentia edit

Suborder Anomaluromorpha edit

Suborder Castorimorpha edit

Suborder Hystricomorpha edit

Suborder Myomorpha edit

Suborder Sciuromorpha edit

Scandentia edit

In the past, various authors proposed to place treeshrews in the ordinal rank Insectivora, or considered them close relatives of primates. Since 1972, the treeshrew families Tupaiidae and Ptilocercidae are grouped in the order Scandentia.

Sirenia edit

Tubulidentata edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Tree of Life Web Project". Tolweb.org. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  2. ^ Gatesy, John (2009). Hedges, S. Blair; Sudhir, Kumar (eds.). Whales and even-toed ungulates (Cetartiodactyla) in The Timetree of Life (PDF). Oxford Biology. pp. 511–515. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  3. ^ Groves, Colin; Grubb, Peter (2011). Ungulate Taxonomy. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-1421400938.
  4. ^ "www.bucknell.edu/msw3". Bucknell.edu. Retrieved 2014-02-23.