Placental Mammals
Placental mammal, (infraclass Eutheria), any member of the mammalian group characterized by the presence of a placenta, which facilitates exchange of nutrients and wastes between the blood of the mother and that of the fetus. The placentals include all living mammals except marsupials and monotremes. Although some authorities consider the marsupials (cohort Marsupialia) to be placental mammals, these animals have a less-developed, less-efficient type of placenta that limits the gestation period. The true placenta of the placentals allows for a longer developmental period within the protection of the womb, a factor considered to have contributed to the evolutionary success of the group. Fossil evidence shows that the first placental mammals evolved between about 163 million and 157 million years ago during the Jurassic Period (201.3 million to about 145 million years ago).
Placental Mammals Encyclopedia Articles
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manatee
Manatee, (genus Trichechus), any of three species of large slow aquatic mammals found along tropical and subtropical Atlantic coasts and associated inland waters, including the watersheds of the Amazon...
flying lemur
Flying lemur, (family Cynocephalidae), either of the two species of primitive gliding mammals classified in the family Cynocephalidae and found only in Southeast Asia and on some of the Philippine Islands....
pangolin
Pangolin, (family Manidae), any of about eight species of armoured placental mammals of the family Manidae (order Pholidota). The name pangolin, from the Malay meaning “rolling over,” refers to this animal’s...
ungulate
Ungulate, any hoofed mammal. Although the term may be used to refer to any member of the grandorder Ungulata, which is recognized as a formal level of classification in some taxonomies, in common usage...
artiodactyl
Artiodactyl, any member of the mammalian order Artiodactyla, or even-toed ungulates, which includes pigs, peccaries, hippopotamuses, camels, chevrotains, deer, giraffes, pronghorn, antelopes, sheep, goats,...
lagomorph
Lagomorph, (order Lagomorpha), any member of the mammalian order made up of the relatively well-known rabbits and hares (family Leporidae) and also the less frequently encountered pikas (family Ochotonidae)....
