VMD 512: Zoo/Wild Animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

CLASSIFICATION OF MAMMALIA

• There are two sub-classes under the class Mammalia
  • Prototheria
  • Theria

Prototheria

• This comprises the single order called Monotremata that has following features:
  • Testes are abdominal and cloaca is present.
  • Mammary glands are present without nipples.
  • They lack external ear.
  • Examples: Spiny anteater/Echidna and Duck billed platypus

Theria

• Marsupials and placental mammals fall in this category.
• Major 4 characteristics of this sub-class are:
  • Presence of external pinna
  • Absence of cloaca
  • Presence of nipples in the mammary glands
  • Females are viviparous in nature.

Intertheria

• Infraclass I
  • Metatheria
    • This group consists of a single order Marsupilia .
    • Marsupials are the animals with a brood pouch or marsupium in the females in which the new born ins taken care of well. Examples: Kangaroo, tiger cat, opossum and the like.
• Infraclass II
  • Eutheria
    • These animals lack marsupium and cloaca. This group comprises all other mammals that are again divided into many orders .(Edentata, Pholidota, Primates, Proboscidea, Lagomorpha, Dermoptera, Chiroptera, Insectivora, Rodentia, Hyracoidea, Tubelidentata, Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla, Carnivora, Cetacea and Sirenia).