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Mammalian diversity: - Coggle Diagram
Mammalian diversity:
-
Monotrema:
Platypus:
- amphibious (freshwater streams)
- leathery snout and webbed feet
- shy and mainly nocturnal
- increasing in size further south
- no teeth
- diet: benthic invertebrates
- lay 2 eggs then fedd for 4-5 months
- prey stored in check pouches until on the surface and can be masticated
Echidna:
- robust ground dwelling
- covered in strong pines
- powerful diggers with long claws
- active day & night
- toothless
- specialised to feed on ants with sticky tongue
- lay single egg then juv. in pouch 8 months
Didelphimorphia (opossum):
- mainly south america
- small to medium sized
- mainly semi-arboreal omnivores
- fantastic immune system
- 12-14 day gestation
- 2-4 month weening on teat
Dasyuormorphia (quoll, numbats, tasmanian devil):
- similar morphology
- primarily insectivorous
- many lack pouch
- adults typically solitary
Peramelemorphia (bandicoots & bilbies):
- ground dwelling
- nocturnal with well developed sense of smell and eyes
- syndactyl (2-3rd toes joined)
- omnivores that eat mainly insects
Diprotodontia:
- 2 first tooth
- 3 main groups ( koala & wombats, possums, kangaroos, wallabies and allies)
- herbivores and omnivores
- some arboreal
- some burrowing
Cingulata (armadillos):
- belt-like bands of armour
- feed on insects
- very poor eyesight, good smell
- use claws for digging
- roll in ball for protection
Lagomorpha (rabbits, pike and hares): - rodent like dentition (4 not 2 teeth)
Rodentia (beavers, rats, mice and capybara):
Soricomorpha (shrews and moles): - small, sharped nose mammals that feed on invertebrates
Chiroptera (bats):
- nocturnal insect eaters, diurnal fruit eaters
- some predate on fish and some hematophagous
Carnivora (cats, dogs, bears, weasels, seals)
Artiodactyla (camels, deer, hippos, antelope, cattle, sheep, goats)
Perissodactyla (horses, asses, zebras, tapirs and rhino)
-
Sirenia (dugong & manatees):
- very low metabolism and feed on sea grass
- restricted to warm shallow coastal waters with large amounts of vegetation
Cetacea (whales, dolphins, porpoises):
- anterior limbs modified into broad flippers
- nostrils modified to form blowhole
- hair limited
- no external ear
- carnivores
Aquatic placental adaptations:
- modified middle ear
- limb paddle-like
- reduced hindlimb
- axial swimming
- use seawater
- move nostrils
- skull asymmetry
Obligate aquatic:
- loss of hindlimb
- forelimb
flippers
- non bendable elbow
- tail fluke