Mammal Study Merit Badge

Mammal Study Requirements

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1. Explain the meaning of "animal," "invertebrate," "vertebrate," and "mammal." Name three characteristic that distinguish mammals from all other animals.
2. Explain how the animal kingdom is classified. Explain where mammals fit in the classification of animals. Classify three mammals from phylum through species.

Mammal Study Requirements

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3. Do ONE of the following:
1. Spend 3 hours in each of two different kinds of natural habitats or at different elevations. List the different mammal species and individual members that you identified by sight or sign. Tell why all mammals do not live in the same kind of habitat.
2. Spend 3 hours on each of 5 days on at least a 25- acre area (about the size of 3 1/2 football fields). List the mammal species you identified by sight or sign.
3. From study and reading, write a simple life history of one nongame mammal that lives in your area. Tell how this mammal lived before its habitat was affected in any way by humans. Tell how it reproduces, what it eats, and its natural habitat. Describe its dependency upon plants, upon other animals (including humans), and how they depend upon it. Tell how it is helpful or harmful to humankind.

Mammal Study Requirements

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4. Do ONE of the following:
1. Under the guidance of a nature center or natural history museum, make two study skins of rats or mice. Tell the uses of study skins and mounted specimens respectively.
2. Take good pictures of two kinds of mammals in the wild. Record the date(s), time of day, weather conditions, approximate distance from the animal, habitat conditions, and any other factors you feel may have influenced the animal's activity and behavior.
3. Write a life history of a native game mammal that lives in your area, covering the points outlined in requirement 3c. List sources for this information.
4. Make and bait a tracking pit. Report what mammals and other animals came to the bait.
5. Visit a natural history museum. Report on how specimens are prepared and cataloged. Explain the purposes of museums.
6. Write a report of 500 words on a book about a mammal species.
7. Trace two possible food chains of carnivorous mammals from soil through four stages to the mammal.

Mammal Study Requirements

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5. Working with your counselor, select and carry out one project that will influence the numbers of one or more mammals.

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Requirement 1

Explain the meaning of "animal," "invertebrate," "vertebrate," and "mammal." Name three characteristic that distinguish mammals from all other animals.

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What are Animals?

• Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia.
• With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, and can reproduce sexually.
• Over 1.5 million living animal species have been described—of which around 1 million are insects—but it has been estimated there are over 7 million animal species in total.

What are Invertebrates?

• Invertebrates are any animals that lack a vertebral column or backbone.

What are Vertebrates?

• Vertebrates are animals that have a backbone or spinal column, also called vertebrae.
• These animals include fish, birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. ��

What are Mammals?

• A mammal is a warm-blooded vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia that is distinguished by:
• The possession of hair or fur,
• The secretion of milk by females for the nourishment of the young, (typically) the birth of live young,
• A neocortex (a region of the brain),
• And three middle ear bones.

Requirement 2

Explain how the animal kingdom is classified. Explain where mammals fit in the classification of animals. Classify three mammals from phylum through species.

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Classification of Organisms

• In order to study living things better, scientists classify (arrange) them into a series of groups according to the features they share.
• At the top of the classification system is the Domain, the largest grouping.
• Next is the Kingdoms.
• There are 5 Kingdoms: Plants, Animals, Fungi, Bacteria, and Protists.
• The kingdoms are divided into ever smaller categories.
• The smaller the category, the fewer the organisms there are in it and the more features they have in common.
• The species is the smallest grouping of all containing just one kind of organism.

Classification of Mammals

Classification of Dogs

Classification of Polar Bears

Classification of Humans

Requirement 3

3. Do ONE of the following:
1. Spend 3 hours in each of two different kinds of natural habitats or at different elevations. List the different mammal species and individual members that you identified by sight or sign. Tell why all mammals do not live in the same kind of habitat.
2. Spend 3 hours on each of 5 days on at least a 25- acre area (about the size of 3 1/2 football fields). List the mammal species you identified by sight or sign.
3. From study and reading, write a simple life history of one nongame mammal that lives in your area. Tell how this mammal lived before its habitat was affected in any way by humans. Tell how it reproduces, what it eats, and its natural habitat. Describe its dependency upon plants, upon other animals (including humans), and how they depend upon it. Tell how it is helpful or harmful to humankind.

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Requirement 3c

The red wolf is the world’s most endangered wolf and is native to coastal South Carolina.

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Natural Habitat and Lifestyle Before Human Impact

• The Red Wolf, once widespread throughout the southeastern United States, including Charleston, SC, primarily inhabited a mix of forested wetlands, swamps, and coastal prairies. These regions provided an ideal environment with abundant prey and dense cover for denning and rearing pups.

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Reproduction

• Red Wolves typically mate for life, with a breeding season that occurs once a year between January and March. After a gestation period of about 60-63 days, the female gives birth to a litter of 4-6 pups. Pups are born blind and helpless, relying on their parents for warmth and food. Both parents, along with older offspring, participate in raising and protecting the young, which begin to emerge from the den at around 8-10 weeks of age.

Requirement 3c

Diet

• As carnivores, Red Wolves have a diverse diet consisting primarily of small to medium-sized mammals. Their prey includes white-tailed deer, raccoons, rabbits, rodents, and occasionally birds. They are opportunistic feeders and will also scavenge carrion if available. This varied diet helps maintain the ecological balance by controlling the populations of these species.

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Dependency on Plants and Other Animals

• Red Wolves play a critical role as apex predators in their ecosystem. They help control the populations of herbivores and smaller predators, thus maintaining a healthy balance within their habitat. This balance supports the growth and health of plant communities by preventing overgrazing and overpopulation of certain species.
• Their dependence on a variety of prey species links them closely with the health of the entire ecosystem. Healthy populations of prey animals ensure a stable food supply for the wolves, while the wolves' predation helps keep prey populations in check, promoting biodiversity.

Requirement 3c

Interaction with Humans

• Historically, Red Wolves were heavily impacted by human activities such as hunting, trapping, and habitat destruction, leading to a severe decline in their population. By the mid-20th century, they were declared extinct in the wild. However, a captive breeding program initiated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the 1970s helped to reintroduce them to certain areas, including parts of the Southeast.
• In Charleston, SC, and surrounding areas, Red Wolves have faced challenges due to habitat fragmentation and competition with the invasive coyote. Efforts to protect and conserve their habitats have been crucial in supporting their recovery.

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Benefits to Humans and Mutual Benefits

• Humans benefit from the presence of Red Wolves through their role in maintaining healthy ecosystems, which in turn supports agriculture and forestry by promoting biodiversity. The presence of a top predator like the Red Wolf can lead to healthier populations of other wildlife species and more balanced ecosystems.
• For the wolves, human efforts in conservation have been vital. The establishment of protected areas and wildlife refuges, along with public education and legal protections, has provided them with a safer environment to live and reproduce.

Requirement 4

Do ONE of the following:

• Under the guidance of a nature center or natural history museum, make two study skins of rats or mice. Tell the uses of study skins and mounted specimens respectively.
• Take good pictures of two kinds of mammals in the wild. Record the date(s), time of day, weather conditions, approximate distance from the animal, habitat conditions, and any other factors you feel may have influenced the animal's activity and behavior.
• Write a life history of a native game mammal that lives in your area, covering the points outlined in requirement 3c. List sources for this information.
• Make and bait a tracking pit. Report what mammals and other animals came to the bait.
• Visit a natural history museum. Report on how specimens are prepared and cataloged. Explain the purposes of museums.
• Write a report of 500 words on a book about a mammal species.
• Trace two possible food chains of carnivorous mammals from soil through four stages to the mammal.

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Requirement 4c

• Download the South Carolina Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide to identify a game mammal native to South Carolina.
• Click on the following link to visit the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources website to learn about the life history of game mammals native to the State of South Carolina.

Requirement 5

Working with your counselor, select and carry out one project that will influence the numbers of one or more mammals.

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Managing Mammals

• All mammals need food, water, shelter, and living space.
• Without all four they cannot survive.
• And so, if you want to influence their numbers, you must adjust the environment to their needs.
• Examples:
• If you would like to see more cottontail rabbits around your home, you might plant shrubs for food and build a brush pile for cover.
• If your building is overrun with mice and rats, you would want to eliminate them by cleaning up trash piles and keep a tight lid on garbage cans.
• The following pages contain additional examples of possible projects.

Making a Bat House

• You will need the following materials:
• One 2-by-4-foot sheet of 1/2-inch outdoor grade plywood
• An 8-inch piece of 1-by-2-inch pine
• 20 to 30 11/4-inch coated deck or exterior-grade Phillips screws
• One pint of water-based black exterior stain
• One pint of water-based exterior primer
• One quart of flat, water-based exterior paint or stain
• One tube of paintable latex caulk
• A 1-by-3-by-28-inch board (optional, but recommended)
• Black asphalt shingles or galvanized metal (optional)
• 107/8-inch roofing nails (optional)

Making a Bat House

To construct the bat house, follow these steps.

• Step 1—Measure and cut the plywood sheet into three pieces, measuring 261/2 inches by 2 feet, 16 1/2 inches by 2 feet, and 5 inches by 2 feet.
• Step 2—Roughen one side of the largest piece by cutting horizontal grooves with a sharp object or a saw. Space the grooves 1/2 inch apart, cutting 1/32 inch to 1/16 inch deep.

Making a Bat House

• Step 3—Apply two coats of black, water-based stain on one side of the grooved board and one side of the other two cut boards. Note: Do not use paint, because it will fill the grooves in the backboard, making it unusable.
• Step 4—Measure and cut the pine strip into one 24-inch piece and two 20 1/4-inch pieces. Apply a strip of caulk to the pine pieces, then attach them to the backboard. Reinforce with the screws.

Making a Bat House

• Step 5—Apply caulk to the pine pieces again, then attach the
• front board. Reinforce the front of the house with screws.
• Step 6—Caulk around all outside joints to further seal the roosting chamber.
• Step 7 (optional)—Attach the 1-by-3-by-28-inch board to the top of the house as a roof.
• Step 8—Apply primer to the assembled bat house and follow with two coats of exterior paint or stain.
• Step 9 (optional)—Use roofing nails to attach shingles or galvanized metal to the roof.

Making a Squirrel Nest Box

• Click on the following link for Gray and Fox Squirrels Nest Box Plans

Making a Raccoon Nest Box

• Click on the following link for Raccoon Nest Box Plans