|
|
|
Mammal Posters |
Mammals is one of the
four posters in our vertebrate orders set. Primates and Carnivores
are the first two titles in our new mammals series. Each poster is
devoted to a single order and presents all of the families within
that order.
Mammals are the
most well-known animals on Earth. They were named for their unique
mammary glands which produce milk to feed the young. This soft
tissue does not fossilize. To differentiate modern mammals from
their more primitive ancestors, paleontologists use a distinguishing
feature shared by all living mammals: the three middle ear bones
used for hearing. These bones are now the defining characteristic of
the clade.
Animals are now being reclassified in accordance with
the new cladistic classification system. None of the new systems
proposed for mammals has been widely accepted, so the Linnaeus
classification system is still used. Under it there are 29 orders,
153 families, and about 1,200 genera. There are approximately 5,400
species, ranging in size from the 1.2 inch Bumblebee Bat to the 110
foot Blue Whale.
Our great new mammals series of posters explores the largest
and most popular orders. They identify and present every family in
the order. Each is briefly introduced, and the number of known
species is cited. A great many beautiful, highly-detailed and
anatomically accurate illustrations show an excellent selection of
representational species. North American mammals are shown whenever
possible. All of the titles in this series have the same graphic
design, making them a matched set. The warm colors go well with
almost all decors. |
|
|
|
