Mammal common names

Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), the African forest elephant (L. cyclotis), and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea; extinct relatives include mammoths and mastodons. Distinctive features of elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive grey skin. The trunk is prehensile, bringing food and water to the mouth and grasping object

A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes muntjac, elk, red deer, and fallow deer) and Capreolinae (which includes reindeer, white-tailed deer, roe deer, and moose). Male deer of almost all species (except the water deer), as well as female reindeer, grow and shed new antlers each year. These antlers are bony extensions of the skull and are often used for combat between males.

Rabbits, or bunnies, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated form of livestock, and a pet, having a widespread effect on ecologies and cultures. The most widespread rabbit genera are Oryctolagus and Sylvilagus. The former, Oryctolagus, includes the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, which is the ancestor of the hundreds of breeds of domestic rabbit and has been introduced on every continent except Antarc

Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush").

A dolphin is any one of the 40 extant species of aquatic mammal from the cetacean families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the brackish dolphins), and the probably extinct Lipotidae (baiji or Chinese river dolphin). All these families belong to the parvorder Odontoceti, i.e., toothed whales, which also include the closely related families Monodontidae (beluga and narwhal) and Phocoenidae (porpoises), as well as the more distant families Physeteroidea (sperm whales) and Ziphiidae (beaked whales

thumb|upright=1|A male red kangaroo thumb|upright=1|Red kangaroos, Liverpool Plains, Sydney, c. 1819

Jackals are canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) and side-striped jackal (Lupulella adusta) of Central and Southern Africa, and the golden jackal (Canis aureus) of south-central Europe and Asia. The African golden wolf (Canis lupaster) was also formerly considered a jackal.

thumb|A bull sable antelope among the trees in the African [[savanna]] An antelope is an extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae, which are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Russia. Antelopes do not form a monophyletic group, as some antelopes are more closely related to other bovid groups, such as bovines, goats, and sheep, than to other antelopes.

subfamily of marine mammals

thumb|A red-necked wallaby A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and sometimes the same genus, but the common name "kangaroo" specifically refers to the four largest species of the family. The term "wallaby" is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or a wallaroo that has not been designated otherwise.

small underground mammal feeding on larvae and insects

A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. Lemmings form the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae) together with voles and muskrats, which form part of the superfamily Muroidea, which also includes rats, mice, hamsters and gerbils. A longstanding myth claims that they exhibit herd mentality and jump off cliffs, committing mass suicide.

thumb|upright=1.35|House mouse (Mus musculus) thumb|Phase-specific vocalizations of male mice at the initial encounter during the courtship sequence

Common name concerning different taxa once grouped in a single superfamily but now split into several ones

right|thumb|European badger Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by their ancestral relationships: Musteloidea contains several families, only two of which (the "weasel family" Mustelidae and the "skunk family" Mephitidae) include badgers; moreover, both of these families also include various other animals that are not badgers.

thumb|European mink (European mink|Mustela lutreola) Mink are dark-coloured, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals in the genera Mustela and Neogale and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, stoats, martens, otters, badgers, and others. There are two extant species referred to as "mink", the American mink and the European mink. The extinct sea mink was related to the American mink but was much larger.

A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species's diversity is found in southeast Asia. Civets do not form a monophyletic group, as they consist only of certain members of the Viverridae and Eupleridae.

species of mammal

informal group of mammals (fossil)

Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus Rattus. Other rat genera include Neotoma (pack rats), Bandicota (bandicoot rats) and Dipodomys (kangaroo rats).

Viscacha or vizcacha (, ) are rodents of two genera (Lagidium and Lagostomus) in the family Chinchillidae. They are native to South America and convergently resemble rabbits.

Tahrs ( , ) or tehrs ( ) are large artiodactyl ungulates related to goats and sheep. There are three species, all native to Asia. Previously thought to be closely related to each other and placed in a single genus, Hemitragus, genetic studies have since proven that they are not so closely related and they are now considered as members of three separate monotypic genera: Hemitragus is now reserved for the Himalayan tahr, Nilgiritragus for the Nilgiri tahr, and Arabitragus for the Arabian tahr.

thumb|Armadillo thumb|Nine-banded armadillo skeleton thumb|Tolypeutes|Three-banded armadillo skeleton on display at the [[Museum of Osteology]]

Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginger colored, but all have warning coloration.

thumb|Male Alpine ibex An ibex ( : ibex, ibexes or ibices) also known as the Old World Mountain goat, is any of several species of wild goat (genus Capra), distinguished by the male's large curved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa.

Voles are small rodents that are relatives of lemmings and hamsters, but with a stouter body; a longer, hairy tail; a slightly rounder head; smaller eyes and ears; and differently formed molars (high-crowned with angular cusps instead of low-crowned with rounded cusps). They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice.

species of hippopotamus on the island of Madagascar

Chipmunks are small, striped squirrels of subtribe Tamiina. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk, which is found primarily in Asia. The name "chipmunk" originated in the 19th century, and other names for this group of squirrels include chitmunk, chipmuck, chipping squirrel, and ground squirrel, though the last name can refer to squirrels of other genera.

The marmosets (), also known as zaris or sagoin, are twenty-two New World monkey species of the genera Callithrix, Cebuella, Callibella, and Mico. All four genera are part of the biological family Callitrichidae. The term "marmoset" is also used in reference to Goeldi's marmoset, Callimico goeldii, which is closely related.

Cuscus ( or ) is a common name given to the species belonging to four genera of Australasian possums in the family Phalangeridae: Ailurops, Phalanger, Spilocuscus, and Strigocuscus. The name comes from the word kusu or kuso in some local related languages spoken in the Maluku Islands like Bacan and Ambonese Malay. It is also applied in parts of Indonesia to the Sunda slow loris, where people do not distinguish this from the "kuskus" possums. The loris, being a primate, is unrelated to the other cuscus species. Cuscus are marsupials, even though they have some appearances, traits and attributes

thumb|Common wallaroo Osphranter robustus at Louisville Zoo

colloquial name of two whale species

The linsangs are four species of tree-dwelling carnivorous mammals. The name of these species originated in the Javanese language as linsang or wlinsang, and previously, was translated incorrectly in English dictionaries as "otter". The two African species belong to the family Viverridae and the two Asiatic species belong to the family Prionodontidae. Formerly, both linsang genera (the African Poiana and the Asian Prionodon) were placed in the subfamily Viverrinae (of Viverridae), along with several other genera, but recent research suggests that their relationships may be somewhat different.

thumb|European polecat