No group of mammals has more species than Rodentia. With close to 2300 recognized species throughout the world, Rodents comprise about forty-two percent of all living mammalian species. These mammals can have major impacts on human life they can be major crop depredators, vectors of disease, and important models for scientific research. When we hear the familiar phrase charismatic mammalian megafauna, we immediately envision large, powerful carnivores like lions and grizzly bears, or sleek, graceful ungulates like deer and antelope. But we rarely hear about charismatic mammalian...

Reflecting the expertise and perspective of five leading mammalogists, the fourth edition of Mammalogy: Adaptation, Diversity, Ecology significantly updates taxonomy, includes a new chapter on mammalian molecular phylogenetics, and highlights several recently described species.

There are close to 5,500 species in the class Mammalia, including the blue whale--the largest animal that has ever lived--and the pygmy shrew, which weighs little more than a penny. The functional diversity of mammals has allowed them to play critical roles in every ecosystem, whether marine,...