Mammals
In numbers of species, mammals (in the phylum Chordata) are the second smallest group of vertebrate animals in Missouri. One mammal, however, takes up more space in Missouri than any other: humans. All mammals are endothermic ("warm-blooded") and most species have hair. Mammals have mammary glands, which, in females, produce milk to feed young. Nearly 70 species of wild mammals live in Missouri. Another six species no longer occur naturally in Missouri, including gray and red wolves, bison, white-tailed jackrabbit, Ozark big-eared bat and elk. The smallest are the masked shrew and least shrew at 2 3/4 inches long; they each weigh the same as a penny. The largest mammal in Missouri is the black bear at 6.5 feet long and a weight of up to 600 pounds.
