Mammals

Gestation periods (days)

Hamster		15–18
Domestic white mouse		19
Field mouse		21
Domestic rabbit		28–35
Kangaroo		42
Domestic dog		58–65
Domestic cat		58–67
Domestic sheep		144–151
Cow		279–282
Human		280
Horse		330–342
Sperm whale		480–590
Elephant (African)		611
Elephant (Asian)		616

South American Camelids

Domesticated

(These two belong more properly in Domesticated Animals, but I've put them here for clarity and for comparison with their wild relatives.)

Largest – up to 5' 9" tall, up to 200 kg (440 lb); widely used as a meat and pack animal since Pre–Columbian times		Llama
Smaller than the above – up to 39" tall, 84 kg (185 lb) in weight; bred for its wool (which is softer and warmer than sheep's) and its meat		Alpaca

Wild

Up to 4 feet tall and 140 kg (310 lb) in weight; mostly light brown in colour, with a grey face		Guanaco
The wild ancestor of the alpaca; valued since Inca times for its fine, soft wool		Vicuña

Other

South African burrowing mammal, related to the hyena		Aardwolf
Vampire bats occur naturally in		America (Central and South)
Principle diet of the aardvark		Ants or termites
Always produces four identical young; used in study of leprosy, being one of the few known species other than man that can catch it systematically		Armadillo
Camel with two humps		Bactrian
Sub–orders of whales: toothed whales (sperm whales, dolphins, porpoises etc.) and		Baleen whales
Monkey that lives on the rock of Gibraltar (introduced from Morocco, probably by the Moors as pets – some time between 700 and 1500 AD)		Barbary macaque (ape)
The thick layer of vascularized adipose tissue (fat with blood vessels) found under the skin of all marine mammals		Blubber
Colour of a giraffe's tongue		Blue
One of the largest species of antelope – characterised by its striking reddish–brown coat, black and white markings, yellow–white stripes, and long, slightly spiralled horns; shares its name with a type of drum, particularly associated with Cuba but probably African in origin		Bongo
Primate, formerly known as the pygmy chimpanzee		Bonobo
Traditional name for a fox's tail		Brush
North American name for the reindeer		Caribou
South American burrowing rodent, prized for its grey & white fur		Chinchilla
The world's second largest rodent – native to South America, introduced to Britain 1929 for farming; has since become established in the wild, especially in East Anglia, after escaping		Coypu
Feral dog of Australia (first introduced around 1500 BC)		Dingo
Name is derived from the Greek word for a womb – perhaps indicating that surprisingly, given its nature, it has one		Dolphin
Edible, fat and squirrel–tailed are all names for the largest variety (rarely found in Great Britain); the common variety (see below) is also known as the hazel		Dormouse
The common variety, Muscardinus avellanarius, has special protection in the UK under the wildlife and Countryside Act, although of least concern globally (common throughout mainland Europe)
Camel with one hump		Dromedary
Spraints (otter), crotties or fewmets (deer), scat (carnivorous mammals)		Droppings (dung)
Aquatic mammal, related to the manatee but smaller, said to be the origin of mermaid myths; name literally means mermaid ('lady of the sea') in Malay		Dugong
Mastodon: pre–historic relative of the		Elephant
The moose is the North American equivalent of the (Eurasian)		Elk
Stoat in its white winter coat – or its fur		Ermine
Staple diet of the koala		Eucalyptus leaves
Species of deer, native to Iran and Anatolia (Asian Turkey), and possibly Greece, Italy and the Balkans: long believed to have been introduced to Britain by the Normans, but recent evidence suggests it may have been the Romans		Fallow deer
The second largest whale, and the world's second largest animal (after the blue whale): found in all major oceans, most commonly in temperate zones; an endangered species (like all large whales), world population estimated at between 110,000 and 120,000 (2016)		Fin whale
More correct name for the tail of a whale		Fluke
Cat–like, carnivorous mammal, related to the mongoose and native to Madagascar: scientific name Cryptoprocta ferox		Fossa
Grant's, Roberts's, Thomson's: species of		Gazelle
Latin name Ailuropoda melanoleuca – literally "black and white cat foot"; local name (dà xióng māo) literally means "big bear cat"		Giant panda
European equivalent of the North American Wolverine		Glutton
The four types of true ape		Gorilla, chimpanzee, orang–utan, gibbon
Declared extinct 1991, but two individuals discovered 2003 (native to Sussex)		Greater mouse–eared bat
Bats, the dormouse and the hedgehog are the only native British mammals that		Hibernate
Eohippus, mesohippus: ancestors of the		Horse
Can be spotted, brown or striped; the brown variety is also known as the strandwolf; the aardwolf is the smallest species of		Hyena
"Boomer" is a nickname for an adult male		Kangaroo
English name comes from the local native name, which is said to mean "doesn't drink" – although there is no evidence to this effect		Koala
Said to sleep up to twenty hours a day
Main diet of baleen whales, including the blue whale and the humpback whale (it's the whale shark and the basking shark that feed on plankton)		Krill
The platypus and the spiny anteater (echidna) are the only mammals that		Lay eggs
Type of primate, unique to Madagascar: name comes from the Latin name for a ghost or spirit; best–known species is the ring–tailed		Lemur
Cross between a male lion and a female tiger (cf. Tigon)		Liger
Genus of monkey that includes the rhesus monkey and the barbary ape		Macaque
Large aquatic mammal, related to the dugong but larger, also sometimes said to be the origin of mermaid myths; name comes (via Spanish) from a Carib word for "breast"		Manatee
The world's largest species of monkey: known for its brightly–coloured muzzle, nose and rump		Mandrill
Mammal that carries its young in a pouch		Marsupial
Correct name for a kangaroo's pouch		Marsupium
Mongoose native to the Kalahari desert – famous for standing on its hind legs		Meerkat
Sometimes builds huge mounds of earth – up to a ton in weight – with tunnels, nests and food stores, known as a fortress		Mole
Name is derived from the "early modern English" mouldywarp, which is echoed in various Germanic languages and means "soil thrower"
The scientific name (derived from the Greek words for "single" and "hole") for the third group of living mammals, along with placentals and marsupials: commonly known as 'egg–laying mammals', the platypus and the various species of echidna are its only living members		Monotremes
The oldest known deer: native to south–east Asia, introduced to Woburn Park early 20th century; feral groups are now fairly common in England following escapes and deliberate releases		Muntjac
Whale with a large forward–pointing tusk (up to 2.7m)		Narwhal
The rabbit was introduced to Britain (as food) by the		Normans
Kangaroo rat: found in		North America
Asia's only great ape: native to Sumatra and Borneo (two distinct species); name means "person of the forest"		Orangutan
Closest relative of the hippopotamus		Pig
The peccary is a South American species of
Tail of an otter		Pole
Scientific term for an elephant's trunk – also the name of a species of monkey with an unusually large nose, and a bat with a similar characteristic		Proboscis
Extinct subspecies of zebra: lived in South Africa until the 19th century; the last known specimen died in Amsterdam Zoo in 1883. Long thought to be a distinct species. Name is derived from its call, which sounds like "kwa–ha–ha"		Quagga
Deer native to Britain (see also here)		Red, roe
The largest group of baleen whales, including the humpback and the blue whale		Rorquals
A hooved mammal that chews the cud (includes cattle, sheep, goats and deer)		Ruminant
Tail of a rabbit, hare or deer		Scut
Semi–aquatic creature, classified into two families: eared and earless		Seals
The mouflon, found in Corsica and Sardinia, is a wild variety of		Sheep
European habitat of the porcupine		Sicily, southern Italy
Adult male gorilla, from the colour of his saddle		Silverback
Two–toed and three–toed are the two remaining families (other families are now extinct) of		Sloth
Difference between apes and monkeys: apes have no		Tails
Principal diet of the aardvark		Termites or ants
Probably the world's best–known species of gazelle: named after a Scottish geologist and explorer (1858–95), distinguished by a black stripe along its side		Thomson's
Cross between a male tiger and a lioness (cf. Liger)		Tigon
Sperm whales, dolphins, porpoises etc.		Toothed whales
Having claws or nails		Unguiculate
Hairy skin that covers the antlers of male deer (also elk, moose and caribou) while they grow		Velvet
Type of mammal, a colony of which was established in the English Peak District after five individuals escaped from a local zoo around 1940		Wallaby
Ivory is produced by elephants and		Walrus
A gam is an alternative name for a gathering of		Whales
Vibrissae (on a cat)		Whiskers
Became extinct in Scotland 1743, Ireland 1766		Wolf (grey)
Believed by ancient Greeks and Romans to be a cross between a tiger and a horse, and named hippotigris (horse tiger); has three main species, known as plains, Grevy's and mountain		Zebra

© Haydn Thompson 2017–21