482 



COLLEGE ZOOLOGY 



A. Kangaroo 



B. Mole 



C. Anteater 



D. Pangolin 



£. Armadillo 



F. Beaver 



Figure 354. Some mammals showing interesting adaptations. A, order Marsupialia, kangaroo, 

 or more specifically a wallaroo, Macropus robustus, (4 feet long). Note young in pouch or 

 marsupium, large hindlimbs, small forelimbs, and large tail. B, order Insectivora, mole, Scalopus 

 aquaticus (6 inches long). Note forefeet adapted for digging, sensitive nose, and rudimentary 

 eyes. C, order Edentata, giant anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla (7 feet long). Note long 

 snout and sharp foreclaws for digging. D, order Pholidota, giant pangolin, Manis gigantea (3 to 

 5 feet long). Note large scales, long snout, and large claws for digging. E, order Edentata, nine- 

 banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus (12 to 15 pounds). Note bony shell, scanty hair, and 

 long claws for digging. F, order Rodentia, beaver. Castor canadensis (3V2 feet long). It has 

 chisel-like teeth, webbed hindfeet, and a flat scaly tail. It builds its home in forest ponds, which 

 it makes by building dams. (Courtesy of N.Y. Zoological Society.) 



Insect-eating mammals 



Insect-eating mammals are considered the 

 most primitive of those that nourish their 

 young before birth by means of a specialized 



placenta. They are entirely absent from the 

 Australian region and from most of South 

 America. They are nocturnal in habit and 

 feed principally on insects which they seize 

 with their projecting front teeth and cut into 



