Department of Zoology at ANDC/Zoology Museum/Museum specimens/Mammalia

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{|cellpadding="5" cellspacing="6" style="width:100%;background:#FFFFFF; border-style:solid; border-width:3px; border-color:#0066FF;" Date & Time : 28, August 2024      
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= General Characteristics of Mammalia =


 * Warm blooded animal.


 * skin is covered by hairs.


 * external ears (pinnae) are present.


 * teeeth are heterodont.


 * skull with two occipital condyles, and no prefrontals, postfrontals and quadrato-jugal.


 * The lower jaw is composed of single bone on each side.


 * the digits are not more than five digits.


 * Heart is 4- chambered


 * Red blood cells are non - nucleated.


 * viviparous.

= Classification of Mammalia =

=A Few Examples=

= 1. Sorex =

Common name-Shrew.

Distribution-found in Asia, Europe and North America.

Habit and habitat-lives in tunnel 

Food- insects, worms and mice.

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERS-


 * Body- Rat like, and is covering with fur.


 * Body length-12.5 cm including the tail.


 * Body color- brown and pale.


 * elongated snout while eyes and ears are small.


 * Teeth-red in color, lower canines are absent and first pair of insisors is long.

Dental formula is

i     3/2

c    1/0                                 =32

pm 3/1

m  3/3


 * Limbs- limbs are consist of 5 clawed-digits.
 * It eat food twice as much as food as their weight. Shrew can not live withoout food more than ten hours.

= 2. Erinaceus =

Common name- Hedge hog

Distribution- found in North India.

Habit and habitat- nocturnal in habitat, lives in holes.

Food- insects, worms, slugs, fruits and roots etc.

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERS-


 * Body- back and sides are covered with spines but the ventral surface is covered with soft fur.


 * Mouth- tubular.
 * Eyes and ear- small, but pinna is present which is also very small.


 * Teeth- 36 in number.

Dental formula is

i    3/2

c    1/1

pm  3/2

m    3/3


 * Ribs- fourteen or fifteen.
 * Tail- it is very short. twelve rib is present in the tail.


 * The animal has the habit of rolling itself into a ball when it seems to be in danger.

= 3. Scotophilus =



Common name- bat

Distribution -cosmopolitan in distribution

Habit and habitat- nocturnal in habit.i.e. sleep in day and comes out in night in search of their food.

Food- blood of other animals.

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERS-


 * Body- short in size.


 * integument- covered with soft fur.
 * Snout- short and no nose leaf.


 * Ear- ear with large pinna providing with flags. high power of hearing.


 * Eyes-small, rods are not properly developed therefore, vision is very weak.


 * Teeth- molars have transverse groove.


 * Limbs-in the forelimbs, only thumb is clawed. but in hindlimbs, all digits are clawed.
 * Tail- it is included in the inter femoral membrane consistinfg of a flap.


 * It likes to livein colonies.


 * When it strike to any object, it produce ultra sonic sound waves.

=4. Talpa=

Common Name- short tailed mole.

Distribution- found in the central and western Himalayas and Assam hills.

Habit and Habitat-burrowing animal, lives underground in burrows.

Food- earthworms etc.

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERS

Body-cylindrical.

Integument- covered with silky fur.

Head- short and conical.

Eyes- very small.

Teeth- 40 in number.

Limbs-fore-limbs are well developed, consisting of claws.

Ear- pinnae are absent.