| Small Mammal Facts | Fact sheets below |
Mammal basics
All mammals have three things in common:
- All mammals have hair.
- Mammal mothers have the ability to produce milk for their babies.
- All mammals have specialized inner ear bones.
Most mammals give birth to live young, but three species of mammals called monotremes (the platypus and two echidna species) lay eggs. Almost all mammals are endothermic, or "warm-blooded" (they are able to maintain their body temperature) but there is one species that can be considered ectothermic, or "cold-blooded" (its body temperature varies with the ambient temperature). 
Find out which one.
Golden
lion tamarins
Scientists at the National Zoo discovered that golden
lion tamarins must
be kept in family groups to reproduce successfully.
About two weeks after the birth of offspring (usually
twins), the father and siblings begin helping the mother
carry the infants. 
more
Sloths
In wet conditions, algae grow in the spongy fur of
sloths, helping to camouflage them in the trees of Latin
American rain forests. Sloths, such as the two-toed sloth, live on low-energy leafy diets; they
conserve energy by moving slowly, hanging rather than
standing, and lowering their body temperatures at night. more
Tree shrew
A female common tree shrew gives
birth to blind, helpless young in a nest separate from
her own. She visits the nest only once every two days,
each time nursing the infants for just five to ten minutes.
After about a month, the young leave the nest and become
independent. more
Bats
While Westerners often fear and dislike bats, in China bats have long symbolized happiness, longevity, and wealth. About one-quarter of all mammal species are bats, which live everywhere except for polar regions and a few remote islands and mountain tops. Bats play a very important role in controlling insect populations, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds. more
Fact Sheets
Acouchi
Asian small-clawed otter
Banded mongoose
Bats (not at the Zoo)
Black-footed ferret
Black and rufous giant elephant-shrew
Black howler monkey
Black-tailed prairie dog
Bush
squirrel (not at the Zoo)
Chevrotain, or greater Malay mouse deer (not at the Zoo)
Dark
mongoose or cusimanse (not at the Zoo)
Degu
Fennec
fox (not at the Zoo)
Geoffroy's
cat (not at the Zoo)
Geoffroy's
tufted-eared marmoset
Goeldi's monkey (not at the Zoo)
Golden-headed
lion tamarin
Golden lion tamarin
Greater Madagascar tenrec
La
Plata three-banded armadillo
Lemurs
Lesser
tree shrew (not at the Zoo)
Leopard
cat (not at the Zoo)
Long-nosed
tree shrew (not at the Zoo)
Meerkat
Naked mole-rat
Northern tree shrew
Pale-faced
saki
Patagonian mara (not at the Zoo)
Prehensile-tailed porcupine
Prevost's squirrel
Pygmy
marmoset (not at the Zoo)
Red panda
Rock
cavy
Rock
hyrax
Short-eared elephant shrew
Short-nosed echidna (not at the Zoo)
Small Madagascar hedgehog tenrec
Southern tamandua (not at the Zoo)
Spiny
mouse (not at the Zoo)
Two-toed sloth
