Accessibility Links

From the team at BBC Wildlife Magazine

Subscribe
  1. Home
  2. Animal facts
  3. Mammals

Mammals

Mammals are warm blooded vertebrates of all shapes and sizes which give birth to their young and feed them with milk from mammary glands. Did you know that humans are also mammals?

From the tiny bumblebee bat to the gigantic blue whale, mammals can be found on every continent and ocean on the planet. Learn more about these fascinating animals in our mammal section.

Big cats

There are five feline species in the big cat group, all of which are part of the Panthera genus. Find out more about these beautiful cats with our guides.
Two young lion cubs. © Jochen Van de Perre/Getty
Mammals

Big cat guide: how to identify each species and where to see

A wild Bengal tiger walking in Ranthambhore national park in India. © Aditya Singh/Getty
Mammals

Tiger guide: species facts, how they hunt and where to see in the wild

Adult jaguar on the edge of a river in the rainforest
Mammals

Jaguar guide: how to identify, where to see and conservation

Lioness with two cubs. © Santanu Nandy/Getty
Mammals

Lion guide: species facts and where they live in the wild

Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) in a snowstorm
Mammals

Snow leopard guide: habitat, diet and conservation

Meet The Scientist

Conserving snow leopards in Mongolia

Great apes

The group known as great apes include gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos.
Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) silverback, Rwanda
Mammals

Gorilla guide: where they live, diet, and conservation

Wild Sumatran orangutan hanging on liana and looking at camera
Mammals

Orangutan guide: species facts, diet and best places to see

An extreme closeup portrait of the alpha male chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), Kibale Forest National Park, Uganda. © Marc Guitard/Getty
Mammals

16 amazing chimpanzee facts

Bears

Polar bear with twin cubs, in Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Canada. © Johnny Johnson/Getty
Mammals

Polar bear guide: where they’re found, what they eat, and why they’re threatened

Polar bear walking on sea ice in the Arctic. © Vlad Silver/Getty
Mammals

Separating fact from fiction: polar bears and climate change

(7) Mothers Protection - Kyle Moore
Galleries

A year in the life of European brown bears

(7) Mothers Protection - Kyle Moore
Galleries

A year in the life of European brown bears

iStock_000035430736_Medium_623-314dab4
Mammals

10 spirit bear facts you need to know

Pandas squeeze down a slide at Bifengxia. Although this behaviour may look cute, the structures serve a purpose by providing enrichment, stimulation and exercise for the growing cubs. © Suzi Eszterhas
Galleries

Conserving giant pandas in China

Giraffe

A giraffe mother grooming her calf in Serengeti/Credit: Getty Images
Mammals

Giraffe guide: species facts, lifespan and habitat

Predation is not an important driver of Rothschild's giraffe grouping. © Ian Forsyth/Getty
News

Giraffes surprise scientists with their group sizing

Rothschild’s giraffes may now be reclassified as a subspecies of one of the four main giraffe species. © BFF
Mammals

Giraffes are not one species, but four, according to a new study

Cheetah

Cheetah on a termite mound, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya (Acinonyx jubatus)
News

Alarmingly low numbers spell trouble for the cheetah

A cheetah can reach speeds of up to 87kph. © Mike Powles/Getty
Mammals

How can a cheetah run so fast?

Cheetah family in the Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya © Paul Souders/Getty
Mammals

Is a cheetah born with spots?

Rhino

Way Kambas National Park, Lampung Province, southern Sumatra, Indonesia Critically endangered / threatened species - fewer than 200 left Captive - Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary within the park (Way Kambas National Park, Lampung Province, southern Sumatra,
Mammals

Everything you need to know about Sumatran rhinos

Rhino in boma in Akagera National Park. © Scott Ramsay/African Parks
News

Successful translocation of rhinos to Rwanda

Black Rhino with calf
Mammals

Rhino guide: how to identify, where to see and why they’re endangered

Elephant

iStock_000022879854_Medium_623-db33aef
Mammals

Elephant guide: species facts and best places to see in the wild

elephant_oariff_istock_623-d4840ca
News

Why African elephants are becoming hybrids

Tusker elephants have tusks weighing more than 45kg. There are thought to be only 21 tuskers left in east, central and southern Africa. © David Cayless/Getty
News

Famous elephant killed by poachers

More animals facts