<P> Mammalia is a class of animal within the Phylum Chordata . Mammal classification has been through several iterations since Carl Linnaeus initially defined the class . No classification system is universally accepted ; McKenna & Bell ( 1997 ) and Wilson & Reader ( 2005 ) provide useful recent compendiums . Many earlier ideas from Linnaeus et al have been completely abandoned by modern taxonomists , among these are the idea that bats are related to birds or that humans represent a group outside of other living things . Competing ideas about the relationships of mammal orders do persist and are currently in development . Most significantly in recent years , cladistic thinking has led to an effort to ensure that all taxonomic designations represent monophyletic groups . The field has also seen a recent surge in interest and modification due to the results of molecular phylogenetics . </P>
<P> Mammalia is a class of animal within the Phylum Chordata . Mammal classification has been through several iterations since Carl Linnaeus initially defined the class . No classification system is universally accepted ; McKenna & Bell ( 1997 ) and Wilson & Reader ( 2005 ) provide useful recent compendiums . Many earlier ideas from Linnaeus et al have been completely abandoned by modern taxonomists , among these are the idea that bats are related to birds or that humans represent a group outside of other living things . Competing ideas about the relationships of mammal orders do persist and are currently in development . Most significantly in recent years , cladistic thinking has led to an effort to ensure that all taxonomic designations represent monophyletic groups . The field has also seen a recent surge in interest and modification due to the results of molecular phylogenetics . </P>
where do mammals fit in the classification of animals
where do mammals fit in the classification of animals
a class of animal within the Phylum Chordata
a class of animal within the Phylum Chordata