Lists of mammals by population

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This is a collection of lists of mammal species by the estimated global population, divided by orders. Lists only exist for some orders; for example, the most diverse order - rodents - is missing. Much of the data in these lists were created by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Mammal Assessment Team, which consists of 1700 mammalogists from over 130 countries. They recognize 5488 species in the class. [1] [2]

Contents

These lists are not comprehensive, as not all mammals have had their numbers estimated. For example, a live specimen of the spade-toothed whale was first observed in December 2010, and the event only recognized as such in November 2012; no estimate yet exists for the global population. [3] The accuracy of the quote numbers may only be an order of magnitude.

It is estimated that the total number of wild mammals in the world is about 130 billion. [4]

Lists by taxonomic order

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Placentalia</span> Infraclass of mammals in the clade Eutheria

Placental mammals are one of the three extant subdivisions of the class Mammalia, the other two being Monotremata and Marsupialia. Placentalia contains the vast majority of extant mammals, which are partly distinguished from monotremes and marsupials in that the fetus is carried in the uterus of its mother to a relatively late stage of development. The name is something of a misnomer considering that marsupials also nourish their fetuses via a placenta, though for a relatively briefer period, giving birth to less developed young which are then nurtured for a period inside the mother's pouch. Placentalia represents the only living group within Eutheria, which contains all mammals more closely related to placentals than to marsupials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mammal classification</span> Taxonomy of mammals

Mammalia is a class of animal within the phylum Chordata. Mammal classification has been through several iterations since Carl Linnaeus initially defined the class. No classification system is universally accepted; McKenna & Bell (1997) and Wilson & Reader (2005) provide useful recent compendiums. Many earlier ideas from Linnaeus et al. have been completely abandoned by modern taxonomists, among these are the idea that bats are related to birds or that humans represent a group outside of other living things. Competing ideas about the relationships of mammal orders do persist and are currently in development. Most significantly in recent years, cladistic thinking has led to an effort to ensure that all taxonomic designations represent monophyletic groups. The field has also seen a recent surge in interest and modification due to the results of molecular phylogenetics.

References

  1. ↑ IUCN (n.d.). "Initiatives:Mammals". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. IUCN . Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  2. ↑ IUCN (n.d.). "Initiatives:Mammals:Acknowledgements". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. IUCN . Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  3. ↑ Thompson, Kirsten; C. Scott Baker; Anton van Helden; Selina Patel; Craig Miller; Rochelle Constantine (6 November 2012). "The world's rarest whale". Current Biology . 22 (21): R905–R906. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.08.055 . PMID   23137682.
  4. ↑ "How Many Wild Animals Are There?".
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