BIOEE 4500

Mammalogy, Lectures and Laboratory

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

This course examines the diversity and biology of mammals from an evolutionary perspective through an integrated lecture, laboratory and field experience. Students gain a foundational understanding of mammalian biology by exploring origins, evolution, diversity, biogeography, physiology, ecology, life history, and behavior, with emphasis on the defining traits of mammals and their variation across modern lineages. Laboratories complement lectures through hands-on study of specimens in the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates. Field trips in New York provide opportunities to observe wild mammals, practice field identification, and apply methods in population biology. By integrating conceptual frameworks with specimen-based laboratories and field observations, students develop a deeper understanding of mammalian diversity and the evolutionary and ecological processes that shape it.

Prerequisites BIOEE 1780 or equivalent.

Enrollment Priority Recommended prerequisite: BIOEE 2740.

Distribution Requirements (BSC-AG)

Last 4 Terms Offered (None)

Learning Outcomes

• Explain the evolutionary origins and diversification of mammals, including major innovations, adaptive radiations, and diversification processes that led to modern mammalian diversity.
• Identify and describe key mammalian features, such as unique characteristics of the skull and skeleton, and relate their form to their function to infer feeding ecology, locomotion, and habitat use.
• Evaluate key adaptations that enable mammalian survival across diverse environments, including physiological traits related to thermoregulation, reproduction, and locomotion.
• Describe the taxonomic diversity of mammals by identifying major mammalian orders and families and their defining morphological, ecological, and biogeographic characteristics, with particular attention to New York’s terrestrial mammals.
• Evaluate interactions between mammals and their environment, including natural history, behavior, ecology, and the role of mammals in human evolutionary history (e.g., disease, nutrition).
• Assess mammalian conservation status by identifying major threats and linking ecological and life-history traits to species' vulnerabilities.

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