Mammals, CHE-ELK

Mammals are distinguished by their ability to produce milk. The class Mammalia boasts tremendous diversity in form and habit, and different types of mammals can be wildly different from one another in physical appearance. Living kinds of mammals range in size from a bat weighing less than a gram to the largest animal that has ever lived, the blue whale, which reaches a length or more than 30 metres (100 feet) and a weight of 180 metric tons (nearly 200 short [U.S.] tons).
Back To Mammals Page

Mammals Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Cheviot
Cheviot, breed of hardy, medium-wool, white-faced, hornless sheep developed in Scotland and Northumberland, England.......
chevrotain
chevrotain, (family Tragulidae), any of about 10 species of small, delicately built, hoofed mammals that constitute......
Chihuahua dog
Chihuahua dog, smallest recognized dog breed, named for the Mexican state of Chihuahua, where it was first noted......
chimpanzee
chimpanzee, (Pan troglodytes), species of ape that, along with the bonobo, is most closely related to humans. Chimpanzees......
chinchilla
chinchilla, (genus Chinchilla), either of two South American species of medium-sized rodents long valued for their......
chinchilla rat
chinchilla rat, any of six South American species of rodents that superficially resemble a chinchilla but are more......
Chinese crested
Chinese crested, breed of toy dog of ancient ancestry; it is one of the hairless breeds, its coat being confined......
Chinese Shar-Pei
Chinese Shar-Pei, breed of medium-sized dog noted for its loose skin and wrinkles. Once considered to be among......
Chinese water deer
Chinese water deer, (Hydropotes inermis), very small Asian deer of the family Cervidae (order Artiodactyla), native......
chipmunk
chipmunk, (genus Tamias), any of 25 species of small, striped, terrestrial squirrels with large internal cheek......
chiru
chiru, (Panthalops hodgsoni), a small, gregarious, graceful antelope-like mammal of the family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla)......
chital
chital, (Cervus axis, sometimes Axis axis), Asiatic deer, belonging to the family Cervidae (order Artiodactyla).......
Chow Chow
Chow Chow, one of the oldest of dog breeds noted for its lionlike mane, its profuse double coat, its blue-black......
civet
civet, any of a number of long-bodied, short-legged carnivores of the family Viverridae. There are about 15 to......
Cleveland Bay
Cleveland Bay, breed of horse notable for its strength, endurance, and beauty and for its prepotency—i.e., its......
cloud rat
cloud rat, any of six species of slow-moving, nocturnal, tree-dwelling rodents found only in Philippine forests.......
clouded leopard
clouded leopard, strikingly marked cat, very similar in colouring and coat pattern to the smaller, unrelated marbled......
Clumber spaniel
Clumber spaniel, breed of sporting dog, the heaviest of the spaniel family, said to have originated in France before......
Clydesdale
Clydesdale, heavy draft-horse breed that originated in Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the River Clyde. The breed was......
coati
coati, (genus Nasua), any of three species of omnivore related to raccoons (family Procyonidae). Coatis are found......
cocker spaniel
cocker spaniel, either of two breeds of sporting dogs used by hunters to flush game birds from cover; it is also......
collie
collie, working dog breed developed in Great Britain, probably by the 18th century. There are two varieties of......
colobus
colobus, any of some dozen species of long-tailed tree-dwelling and generally gregarious monkeys native to eastern,......
Condylarthra
Condylarthra, extinct group of mammals that includes the ancestral forms of later, more-advanced ungulates (hoofed......
Connemara
Connemara, breed of pony native to the Connemara area of Ireland, used as general riding ponies for adults and......
coonhound
coonhound, any of several breeds of dogs used primarily in hunting raccoons by scent. Coonhounds are noted for......
Coryphodon
Coryphodon, genus of extinct primitive hoofed mammals known from Late Paleocene and Early Eocene deposits (those......
cotton rat
cotton rat, (genus Sigmodon), any of 14 species of terrestrial rodents found from the southern United States to......
cottontail
cottontail, any of several North and Central American rabbit species of the genus Sylvilagus. See...
cow
cow, in common parlance, a domestic bovine, regardless of sex and age, usually of the species Bos taurus. In precise......
coydog
coydog, hybrid of the domestic dog with the coyote...
coyote
coyote, (Canis latrans), New World member of the dog family (Canidae) that is smaller and more lightly built than......
crab-eating fox
crab-eating fox, (Cerdocyon thous), South American member of the dog family (Canidae), found in grassy or forested......
crabeater seal
crabeater seal, (species Lobodon carcinophagus), southern seal of the family Phocidae found among drifting ice......
Creodonta
Creodonta, order of extinct carnivorous mammals first found as fossils in North American deposits of the Paleocene......
crest-tailed marsupial rat
crest-tailed marsupial rat, (Dasyuroides byrnei), rare ratlike mammal of the family Dasyuridae (order Marsupialia),......
crested black macaque
crested black macaque, (Macaca nigra), a mainly arboreal Indonesian monkey named for the narrow crest of hair that......
Criollo
Criollo, horse breed of Argentina, Brazil, and other South American countries, used as a stock and riding horse.......
Cro-Magnon
Cro-Magnon, population of early Homo sapiens dating from the Upper Paleolithic Period (c. 40,000 to c. 10,000 years......
curly-coated retriever
curly-coated retriever, breed of sporting dog bred and trained to retrieve game both on land and in the water.......
cuscus
cuscus, any of the seven species of Australasian marsupial mammals of the genus Phalanger. These are the marsupial......
cutting horse
cutting horse, light saddle horse trained to cut (isolate) livestock, especially cattle, from herds. Most are quarter......
Dachshund
Dachshund, dog breed of hound and terrier ancestry developed in Germany to pursue badgers into their burrows. The......
dairy cattle breeds
Cattle, at the initial stages of their domestication, produced a relatively small amount of milk, sufficient only......
Dall sheep
Dall sheep, (Ovis dalli), species of bighorn...
Dalmatian
Dalmatian, dog breed named after the Adriatic coastal region of Dalmatia, Croatia, its first definite home. The......
Dandie Dinmont terrier
Dandie Dinmont terrier, breed of terrier developed in the border country of England and Scotland. First noted as......
Dartmoor
Dartmoor, breed of pony about 12 hands (48 inches, or 122 cm) tall, hardy, and semiwild in its native Dartmoor,......
dassie rat
dassie rat, (Petromus typicus), a medium-sized rodent adapted to life among rocky outcrops in the desert hills......
dasyurid
dasyurid, any member of a family (Dasyuridae) of marsupial mammals that includes the quolls (formerly called “native......
DeBrazza’s monkey
DeBrazza’s monkey, (Cercopithecus neglectus), large brightly coloured guenon widely distributed through central......
deer
deer, (family Cervidae), any of 43 species of hoofed ruminants in the order Artiodactyla, notable for having two......
deer mouse
deer mouse, (genus Peromyscus), any of 53 species of small rodents found in a variety of habitats from Alaska and......
degu
degu, (genus Octodon), one of four species of ratlike South American rodents found primarily on the lower western......
Deltatheridium
Deltatheridium, a genus of extinct mammals found as fossils in rocks from Upper Cretaceous times (about 100–65.5......
Denisovan
Denisovan, member of a group of archaic humans who emerged about 370,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch......
desert dormouse
desert dormouse, (Selevinia betpakdalaensis), a rarely seen or captured small rodent of Central Asia. Weighing......
desman
desman, either of two species of amphibious Eurasian moles that den on land but seek prey underwater instead of......
dhole
dhole, (Cuon alpinus), wild Asian carnivore of the dog family (Canidae), found in central and southeastern wooded......
diana monkey
diana monkey, (Cercopithecus diana), arboreal species of guenon named for its crescent-shaped white browband that......
dibatag
dibatag, (Ammodorcas clarkei), a rare member of the gazelle tribe (Antilopini, family Bovidae), indigenous to the......
dik-dik
dik-dik, (genus Madoqua), any of four species of dwarf antelopes (tribe Neotragini, family Bovidae) that are adapted......
dingo
dingo, (Canis lupus dingo, Canis dingo), member of the family Canidae native to Australia. Most authorities regard......
Dinohyus
Dinohyus, extinct genus of giant piglike mammals found as fossils in deposits of early Miocene age in North America......
Diprotodon
Diprotodon, extinct genus of marsupial classified in the suborder Vombatiformes and considered to be the largest......
dire wolf
dire wolf, (Aenocyon dirus), canine that existed during the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago).......
disk-winged bat
disk-winged bat, (family Thyropteridae), any of three species of bats inhabiting Central America and northern South......
Do Camels Store Water in Their Humps?
Camels have long been known for their ability to go weeks at a time without needing to drink water—an ability that......
Do Cats Cause Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia—any of several severe mental disorders having such symptoms as hallucinations, disorganized thinking,......
Do Cows Pollute as Much as Cars?
Cows are notorious for their emissions of methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas. Cows produce methane through digestion,......
Do Hyenas Really Laugh?
The spotted, or laughing, hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is a ruthless scavenger and killer, burglarizing food stores,......
Do Kangaroos Really Box?
Kangaroo boxing is an actual behavior observed in these Australian marsupials. Male kangaroos box with other males......
Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide?
Lemmings are small creatures with wild reputations. In the 17th century, naturalists perplexed by the habit of......
Do Mongooses Make Good Pets?
Mongooses are unlikely to rank anywhere on lists of the most popular or lowest-maintenance pets because, frankly,......
Do Whales Sleep?
Whales do sleep, but their sleep is quite different from what we typically understand as sleep in humans. Whales,......
Doberman Pinscher
Doberman Pinscher, breed of working dog developed in Apolda, Germany, by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann, a tax......
Docodon
Docodon, extinct genus of mammals originally known only from fossilized teeth. The dentition patterns of the cusps......
Dogo Argentino
Dogo Argentino, breed of working dog created in Argentina in the 1920s as a pack-hunting, big-game hunter. The......
dolphin
dolphin, any of the toothed whales belonging to the mammal family Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins) as well as the......
domestic shorthair
domestic shorthair, breed of domestic cat often referred to as a common, or alley, cat; a good show animal, however,......
donkey
donkey, (Equus asinus), domestic ass belonging to the horse family, Equidae, and descended from the African wild......
dormouse
dormouse, (family Myoxidae), any of 27 species of small-bodied Eurasian, Japanese, and African rodents. The largest,......
douc
douc, (genus Pygathrix), any of three colourful species of langur monkeys found in the tropical forests of central......
drill
drill, (Mandrillus leucophaeus), large short-tailed monkey found from southeastern Nigeria to western Cameroon......
dromedary
dromedary, Arabian (one-humped) riding camel (Camelus dromedarius), a swift domestic species not found in the wild.......
Dryopithecus
Dryopithecus, genus of extinct ape that is representative of early members of the lineage that includes humans......
dugong
dugong, (Dugong dugon), marine mammal that inhabits the warm coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, feeds......
duiker
duiker, (tribe Cephalophini), any of 17 or 18 species of forest-dwelling antelopes (subfamily Cephalophinae, family......
Duroc
Duroc, breed of pig developed between 1822 and 1877 from the Old Duroc pig of New York and the Red Jersey pig of......
durukuli
durukuli, (genus Aotus), any of several species of closely related nocturnal monkeys of Central and South America......
Dwarfism in Cats: It’s Only Cute ‘til Someone Gets Hurt
Once upon a time, Lil BUB met Grumpy Cat. It was not love at first sight for two of the most-famous Internet cats:......
echidna
echidna, (family Tachyglossidae), any of four species of peculiar egg-laying mammals from Australia, Tasmania,......
egg tooth
egg tooth, tooth or toothlike structure used by the young of many egg-laying species to break the shell of the......
Ehringsdorf remains
Ehringsdorf remains, human fossils found between 1908 and 1925 near Weimar, Germany. The most complete fossils......
eland
eland, (genus Taurotragus), either of two very large, oxlike African antelopes of the spiral-horned antelope tribe......
elephant
elephant, (family Elephantidae), largest living land animal, characterized by its long trunk (elongated upper lip......
elephant seal
elephant seal, either of the two largest pinnipeds (aquatic mammals of the suborder Pinnipedia): the northern elephant......
elephant shrew
elephant shrew, (order Macroscelidea), any of approximately 20 species of rat-sized African mammals named for their......
elk
elk, (Cervus elaphus canadensis), the largest and most advanced subspecies of red deer (Cervus elaphus), found......

Mammals Encyclopedia Articles By Title