Six Major Mammal Orders
Mammals are incredibly diverse. Here are six representative orders:
- Primates: Monkeys, apes, and humans; known for grasping hands and large brains.
- Carnivora: Meat-eaters such as lions, bears, and wolves, with sharp teeth and claws.
- Cetacea: Whales, dolphins, and porpoises, adapted to aquatic life.
- Artiodactyla: Even-toed ungulates like cows, deer, and hippos, mostly herbivores.
- Rodentia: Rodents such as rats, mice, squirrels, and beavers, with ever-growing incisors.
- Perissodactyla: Odd-toed ungulates like horses, zebras, and rhinoceroses.
This is just a small sample of the many mammal orders that exist worldwide.