Mammals
Mammals
A group of endothermic (warm-blooded) vertebrates who have hair or fur and feed their offspring through milk production.

Canines

Arctic Wolf

Canis lupus arctos

  • Also known as the white wolf or polar wolf, the arctic wolf is a subspecies of gray wolf.
  • Arctic wolves can be found in the tundras of northern Canada and Greenland where temperatures are freezing most of the year.
  • Their white fur makes them perfectly camouflaged into the snow.
  • Like other wolves, they are pack hunters and successful predators, eating a diet of arctic hares, muskox, and caribou.
  • Because of the frozen soil (permafrost), arctic wolves cannot dig a den.
  • Instead, they have their pups in caves and other rocky areas.
  • Arctic wolves are one of the larger gray wolf subspecies, which helps keep them warm! 

Coyote

Canis latrans

  • Coyotes are one of the most common canines in North America; they can be found in nearly every habitat!
  • Coyotes are generalist omnivores, meaning they will eat many different types of plants and animals.
  • Some coyotes will completely change their diet based on the season and food availability.
  • Coyotes can live alone or in packs.
  • They communicate through scent and sound; they have more than 10 different vocalizations!
  • When resources are plentiful, coyotes will have offspring earlier in life and will give birth to more pups at a time.
  • Coyotes are often seen as a nuisance animal because they successfully live in areas with high human population.

Fennec Fox

Vulpes zerda

  • Fennec foxes are the smallest species of canine in the world!
  • Their giant hears help them hear predators and allow heat to escape, sending cooler blood back to the rest of their body. We call this "ear-conditioning!"
  • Fennec foxes have fur on the bottom of their paws to prevent them from burning on the hot sand.
  • They are nocturnal to avoid the hottest part of the day.
  • They are very social, often living in complex burrows with many other fennec foxes.
  • This tiny fox's diet consists of small rodents, reptiles, and invertebrates.

Mexican Wolf

Canis lupus baileyi

  • Mexican wolves are the smallest and most genetically distinct subspecies of gray wolves.
  • They once roamed up to the Grand Canyon and down to Mexico.
  • Throughout the 1900s, Mexican wolves and other predators were hunted to near extinction.
  • In the late 1970s, the remaining 7 Mexican wolves living in Mexico were collected to start a captive breeding program.
  • In 1998, 11 captive-born wolves were released into the recovery area between Arizona and New Mexico to start restoring their wild populations.
  • Today, more than 160 Mexican wolves roam the southwestern United States.
Mexican Wolf Conservation

Felines

African Leopard

Panthera pardus pardus

  • African leopards are one of seven subspecies of leopards.
  • Their spotted fur can range from light yellow to black. When black, they are referred to as a black panther (as are other large, black cats!).
  • They have black spots and rosettes on their fur which help them camouflage.
  • To avoid losing their kills to the competition, leopards will drag their victims up into a tree.
  • Leopards are capable of consuming more than 90 species of prey!
  • They are primarily solitary and territorial.

African Lion

Panthera leo

  • African lions are a species of big cat that lives on the savannas of Africa.
  • Lions are the only big cat to live in a social group with males and females.
  • African lions live in a pride, which usually has one adult male (sometimes more), several adult females, and their cubs.
  • Lions display sexual dimorphism, which means the males look very different than the females. 
  • Males can be twice as large as females and have long manes.
  • Normally, females will hunt for the pride while males stay back with the cubs.
  • Lion cubs will learn how to hunt from watching their moms and play-fighting with their siblings. 
  • Lions primarily eat wildebeest, zebra, water buffalo, and other large mammals.

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus

  • Cheetahs are a species of small cat native to the savannas of Africa.
  • Cheetahs are the fastest land mammal in the world, reaching speeds of more than 60-mph.
  • Unlike most cats, cheetahs' claws do not fully retract and give them better grip.
  • Their powerful tails act like a rudder and help them change direction while sprinting.
  • Aside from a mom with her cubs, females are mostly solitary, while males live with their brothers in a coalition. 
  • Cheetahs are one of the only diurnal cats!
  • The black stripes under their eyes (malar stripes) help them see by blocking glare from the sun, like a football player's face-tape!
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Jaguar

Panthera onca

  • Jaguars are the third largest cat in the world. Large males can weigh more than 200-lbs!
  • They are native to the Americas and can be found from Argentina as far north as Arizona.
  • Jaguars are ambush hunters and often wait for prey up in the trees.
  • They are great swimmers and commonly hunt prey, like fish, caimans, and capybara, that are in water.
  • Like most other big cats, jaguars are solitary and only come together for breeding. 
  • Jaguars usually have 2-3 babies at a time and cubs will stay with their moms for up to 2 years!
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Sumatran Tiger

Panthera tigris sumatrae

  • Sumatran tigers are the smallest of the 6 currently living subspecies of tigers.
  • Females are usually smaller than males. A large male can weigh up to 300 lbs, which is about half as much as a large Amur (Siberian) tiger!
  • Being an island species, they are especially solitary due to competition over finite resources.
  • Like other tigers, they are mostly active at night.
  • They have white spots on the back of their ears, and we don't know exactly why. 
  • Sumatran tigers are not afraid of water and will chase prey through swampy areas.
  • Their population is critically endangered, with less than 400 remaining in the wild.

Primates

Bornean Orangutan

Pongo pygmaeus

  • Bornean orangutans are endemic to (only found on) the island of Borneo off the coast of Southeast Asia.
  • They are primarily arboreal, meaning they spend almost their whole lives in the trees, and eat mostly fruit!
  • Young male orangutans can stay with their mom for up to 8 years, while young females will often stay into their teens!
  • They have the second-longest parent-offspring relationship of any animal besides humans.
  • Young orangutans have to learn the map of the forest before they can leave their mom.
  • Orangutans are incredibly intelligent and social; they can remember relatives after not seeing them for several years.
  • Because of their high-fruit diet, they are very important seed dispersers. 
  • Males are much larger than females and, if dominant, can develop large face flaps!

Geoffroy's Marmoset

Callithrix geoffroyi

  • Geoffroy's marmosets are one of more than 20 species of marmosets, which are closely related to tamarins!
  • Females almost always give birth to twins and offspring will generally stay with the group for a few years to help raise younger siblings.
  • They are native to a small portion of tropical and subtropical forests in Brazil.
  • These marmosets are very small, only weighing about 400-500 g.
  • They are incredibly social, often found in groups of up to 15 individuals.
  • Geoffroy's marmosets will primarily eat fruit, insects, and tree sap.
  • They have special teeth that allow them to dig into branches and vines for sap.

Siamang Gibbon

Symphalangus syndactylus

  • Siamangs are a type of small-bodied ape native to southeast Asia.
  • They are the largest of the 19 species of gibbons!
  • Their diet is mainly fruit, which makes them very important seed dispersers.
  • Pairs will normally mate for life and live in a family group with their offspring.
  • They are primarily arboreal, so their primary form of locomotion is brachiation!
  • Their bones are lightweight to help them move through the trees.
  • The call of a siamang can be heard from great distances thanks to a large throat pouch that amplifies sound.
Siamang Vocalizing

White-Faced Saki Monkey

Pithecia pithecia

  • White-faced sakis are one of many species of saki monkeys native to the New World (Americas).
  • They mostly dine on fruit, along with flowers, nuts, and small animals.
  • They have large, strong canine teeth that allow them to eat unripe fruit while other fruit-eaters have to wait for it to ripen!
  • Males and females are sexually dimorphic, meaning they look very different. Males have a black body and white face, while females have grey/brown face and body.
  • They primarily move around the forest by leaping from branch to branch dozens of feet in the air!

Hoofed-Mammals

African Bush Elephant

Loxodonta africana

  • African bush elephants are the largest animal on land with large males reaching 13,000 lbs.
  • They are one of two subspecies of African elephants, the other being the African forest elephant. 
  • They have massive ears shaped like African that allow heat to escape and send cooler blood back to the rest of the body.
  • Their massive trunks have more muscles than the entire human body.
  • Elephants can walk up to 30 miles per day to find and eat up to 300-lbs of food, all while depositing seeds around the landscape in their fertile dung.
  • Both male and female African elephants have tusks, unlike Asian elephants.
  • African elephants are ecosystem engineers.
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Asian Elephant

Elephas maximus

  • There are three subspecies of Asian elephants: Indian, Sumatran, and Sri Lankan elephants.
  • They are much smaller and have smaller ears than their African cousins.
  • Unlike African elephants, only males have long, ivory tusks.
  • As Asian elephants age, they lose pigment on their face and ears that give them a unique pink coloration.
  • Elephants have four teeth in their mouth at a time and grind them down as they chew. They get six sets of teeth throughout their lifetime.
  • Asian elephants are thought to be the major reason wild mangos will exist because they consume huge amounts of mangos and deposit the seeds as they move around.

Common Eland

Taurotragus oryx

  • Common elands are one of the largest species of antelopes, weighing up to a ton!
  • Both males and females have large, twisted horns. 
  • Males will use their horns to fight for females, while females will use theirs to defend themselves and their young.
  • They have a large dewlap under their chin that assists in thermoregulating by bringing warm blood close to the surface for heat to escape and moving cooler blood back through the body.
  • Common elands are very social and are commonly found in large herds.
  • Adults are capable of jumping 8 feet in the air!

Giraffe

Giraffa ssp.

  • Giraffes are the tallest land animal, reaching heights well above 15 feet!
  • They won't pass up an easy drink, but they get most of their moisture from their diet.
  • After much debate among giraffe scientists, they have yet to agree if there is one species (with 9 subspecies) or four species (with 5 subspecies) of giraffes.
  • Giraffes, like almost all mammals including humans, have 7 vertebrae in their neck.
  • The horn-like structures on their heads are called ossicones; they are made of soft cartilage at birth and harden over their first couple of weeks of life.
  • A giraffe's heart weighs about 25lbs! That's the size of a two-year-old human.

Grevy Zebra

Equus grevyi

  • Grevy zebras are the largest of the three species of zebras.
  • You can tell Grevy zebras apart from the others because of their size and their dense stripes that stop above their belly.
  • Zebras have black skin with black and white striped fur, which is thought to confuse flies and prevent fly bites.
  • They have large, flat teeth that are perfect for grinding grasses and other vegetation.
  • Compared to other species of zebras, Grevy zebras have a very loose social structure and are not commonly found in large herds.
  • Grevy zebras are endangered, with about 2,500 existing in the wild.

Mexican Red Brocket Deer

Mazama americana

  • Brocket deer are small deer native to dense forests throughout Central and South America.
  • Mexican red brocket deer are the largest brocket deer species, weighing up to about 50 lbs.
  • The males grow antlers that are usually just single spikes, which sometimes last for over a year before falling off.
  • They are primarily diurnal, though very shy, making them hard to observe.
  • They are surprisingly great swimmers!
  • Their only known vocalization is a piercing cry.

Northern White Rhinoceros

Ceratotherium simum cottoni

  • Northern white rhinoceroses are one of two subspecies of white rhinos native to the savannas of Africa.
  • They can weigh more than 4,000 lbs.
  • The species was named "white" rhinoceros after a misunderstanding of the dutch word "wijde," which actually means wide, not white!
  • There are only two white rhinos left in the world, making them critically endangered.
  • The remaining individuals are a mother and daughter under 24-hour armed guard in Kenya.
  • Rhinos are heavily poached for their horns, which are thought to have medicinal value.
  • Rhinoceros horns are made of keratin, the same material as our hair, nails, porcupine quills, and turtle shells.
White Rhino Conservation

Pronghorn

Antilocapra americana

  • Though they are commonly called pronghorn antelopes, they are not actually antelopes (antelopes are only found in the Old World).
  • Their closest living relative is the giraffe.
  • There are five subspecies of pronghorns that range all the way from Canada to Mexico throughout the western US.
  • Pronghorns are the second fastest land mammal and have both speed and endurance!
  • They can reach speeds of 55 mph in a sprint and run 40 mph for long distances.
  • Their "horns" are not true horns or antlers, they are a combination of both!

Warthog

Phacochoerus ssp.

  • There are two species of warthogs, the desert warthog and the common warthogs.
  • They are pigs native to open areas in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • They are named for the large "warts" that males have on their faces.
  • A warthog's primary form of defense is to run; they are incredibly quick and can reach speeds of 30 mph!
  • They will back into their dens so they can charge out quickly when threatened.
  • Warthogs have two pairs of tusks which they can use in combat.
  • To be able to reach the grass even with tall front legs, they eat on their elbows.
  • Males will become aggressive with each other during the breeding season.

Marsupials

Common Wombat

Vombatus ursinus

  • Common wombats are one of three species of wombats that are all native to Australia.
  • Wombats are stocky marsupials with short legs that can weigh more than 70-lbs!
  • Wombats are impressive diggers and build elaborate tunnel systems that they often use for their whole lives.
  • Joeys are born after about one month and are the size of a peanut! They will stay in their mom's pouch for roughly 5 more months.
  • Common wombats have huge incisors that they will use to chew through obstacles while digging their burrows.
  • Wombats will spend a majority of the day sleeping, then emerge at dusk and at night to find patches of grass to eat.

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

  • Koalas are found in coastal woodlands of eastern and southern Australia.
  • They are herbivores; their diet is very low in nutrients which is why they're so slow!
  • Koalas are marsupials, which means they give birth to tiny babies that continue to develop in their mother's pouch.
  • They are the only living species in their family; their closest relative is the wombat!
  • Koalas are arboreal, meaning they live in the trees, and they have sharp, hooked claws perfect for climbing.
  • Koala populations were seriously impacted by the bushfires of 2020.

Red-Necked Wallaby

Macropus rufogriseus

  • Red-necked wallabies are one of many species of wallabies that are closely related to kangaroos and wallaroos.
  • Also known as Bennett's wallabies, these wallabies can be found in eastern Australia and on the island of Tasmania.
  • Like all wallabies and kangaroos, Bennett's wallabies are marsupials!
  • Red-necked wallabies are herbivores, eating mostly grasses, roots, and leaves.
  • They usually hang out alone but will gather in groups where food is abundant.
  • There are thought to be a few subspecies with behaviors being different between groups.

Rodents

North American Porcupine

Erethizon dorsatum

  • North American porcupines are the second-largest rodent in North America following the beaver.
  • Seven subspecies range across most of Canada, Alaska, and through the western US into Mexico.
  • Behaviors vary greatly based on region. Depending on the habitat, some populations are mostly arboreal (live in the trees) while others are terrestrial (live on the ground).
  • They have up to 30,000 quills, which are modified hairs, that will stand up when threatened.
  • Their diet often changes seasonally; they will eat berries, grasses, and seeds in the summer and feed mostly on twigs and pine needles in the winter.

Prairie Dog

Cynomys ssp.

  • Prairie dogs are found in, and under, grasslands of North America.
  • They are closely related to squirrels and chipmunks.
  • They are environmental engineers because they...
    • Chew down young trees, which keeps the grassland a grassland.
    • Eat the seeds of grasses and small shrubs and then disperse them all around the ecosystem in their scat.
    • Dig large burrow systems that help provide oxygen and nutrients to plants.
    • Provide burrows and act as a food source for the endangered black-footed ferret.

Miscellaneous

Andean Bear

Tremarctos ornatus

  • Andean bears are the only bear to live in South America.
  • They are also known as spectacled bears for the eyeglass-shaped markings on their face!
  • Their favorite foods are fruits and vegetables; only about 5% of their diet is thought to be meat! 
  • They don't need to hibernate because their mostly herbivorous diet is available all year.
  • Andean bears are fantastic climbers and will climb trees to build nests and reach fruit.
  • They have sharp, hooked claws to help them climb!
  • Andean bears make great mothers and will care for their cubs for at least a year.
Rising to the Top

Black-Tailed Jackrabbit

Lepus californicus

  • Black-tailed jackrabbits, while in the rabbit family, are more accurately described as hares, which are larger than other rabbits with longer legs and ears.
  • This species of jackrabbit is found in the western US and Mexico.
  • Black-tailed jackrabbits have incredible camouflage and remain still to avoid detection from predators like coyotes, hawks, and snakes.
  • They have huge ears that help them hear predators and allow heat to escape, sending cooler blood back to the rest of the body.
  • Like other jackrabbits, black-tailed jackrabbit offspring are mobile within a few minutes of birth.
  • To avoid the challenges of finding water in the desert, jackrabbits get most of the moisture they need from their plant diet.
  • A group of jackrabbits is called a drove.

Linne's Two-Toed Sloth

Choloepus didactylus

  • Linne's two-toed sloths are native to the tropical forests of Central America and northern South America.
  • They are arboreal, spending more of their lives in the trees. 
  • They only come down to the forest floor when they poop (which only occurs about once per week)
  • They are vulnerable to predators like hawks, jaguars, and ocelots.
  • Sloths sleep 15-18 hours per day and spend the rest of the time eating low-nutrient leaves and twigs
  • They have a very slow metabolism; it takes about a month for them to digest a meal!
  • They have large, hooked claws that allow them to hang from branches with little effort.
Why Are Sloths So Slow?

Spotted Hyena

Crocuta crocuta

  • Spotted hyenas are the largest member of the hyena family.
  • They are known as scavengers but are actually very successful hunters.
  • Hyenas have a matriarchal society, meaning the females are more dominant than the males.
  • They are very social and can be found in clans of up to 100 individuals!
  • Hyenas are complete predators and will eat every part of their prey, including bones, hair, and hooves. Whatever they cannot digest, they regurgitate in a pellet.
  • They are more closely related to cats than dogs, but most closely related to fossa and meerkats.
  • They often compete for resources with lions because they have almost an identical range.

West Indian Manatee

Trichechus manatus

  • West Indian manatees, also known as North American manatees, are one of three species of manatees that live in shallow, coastal waters.
  • Manatees are impressive herbivores, sometimes eating more than 100-lbs of vegetation in a single day! 
  • West Indian manatees are the largest species of manatee that exist, weighing more than 1,000-lbs.
  • They use their large, flexible mouths to pull seagrasses from the sand. 
  • Manatees are also referred to as "sea cows."
  • North American manatees will migrate to warmer waters in the winter before heading back to protected areas for the summer. 
  • Manatees can hold their breath for up to 20-minutes before surfacing for air.
  • They are normally very slow and spend up to 12 hours per day resting or sleeping. 

Keep Learning!

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