Abstract
Although John Ray in the 17th Century with great foresight used toes and teeth as the basis for mammalian classification, he failed to recognise the Insectivora as a natural group. This was evidently due to the fact that the form of their toes and teeth, with some exceptions such as the limbs of moles, are generalised and do not show the special adaptive characters that have become diagnostic of the higher groups.
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© 1977 J. E. Webb, J. A. Wallwork, J. H. Elgood
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Webb, J.E., Wallwork, J.A., Elgood, J.H. (1977). Insectivora, flying lemurs and bats. In: Guide to Living Mammals. Classification guides. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-04912-7_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-04912-7_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-04914-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-04912-7
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