Each course consists of around 10 hours of learning, and together they make the perfect introduction to developing your knowledge on this fascinating section of the animal kingdom.

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Studying mammals: Return to the water

Some of the most unusual and versatile of all the mammals are the groups that live, feed and reproduce underwater. In this free course, Studying mammals: Return to the water, we will see how these formerly land-based mammals adapted to a return to the water, discussing such challenges as breathing, movement and communication. This is the seventh course in the Studying mammals series. NOTE: The Studying mammals series is gradually being updated and replaced. You can study an improved freestanding version of this course, titled Aquatic mammals, here: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/nature-environment/aquatic-mammals/content-section-0

Learn more ❯Studying mammals: Return to the water

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Studying mammals: The insect hunters

From pygmy shrews to armadillos, a wide range of mammals survive on a diet made up largely of insects. Many of these have fascinating adaptations suited to catching or rooting out their prey. In this free course, Studying mammals: The insect hunters, you will learn about these adaptations, along with survival strategies for when food is scarce. This is the second course in the Studying mammals series.

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Studying mammals: The social climbers

Monkeys have long fascinated us because of their similarities to the human race. In this free course, Studying mammals: The social climbers, you will find out about some of the characteristics that make them so like us: their physiology, complex social interactions, large brains and intelligence. This is the ninth course in the Studying mammals series.

Learn more ❯Studying mammals: The social climbers

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Studying mammals: Life in the trees

David Attenborough looks at life in the trees: examining how species have evolved to cope with arboreal living. In this free course, Studying mammals: Life in the trees, you will learn how lemurs, anteaters, bears and many others have developed different methods to help movement and survival.

Learn more ❯Studying mammals: Life in the trees

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Studying mammals: The opportunists

Many mammals are food specialists, with complex adaptations that gear them toward a particular food source. So how do the omnivores survive and prosper without these fancy evolutionary features? This free course, Studying mammals: The opportunists, examines the physiology, diet and strategies of some of these opportunistic feeders. It is the sixth course in the Studying mammals series.

Learn more ❯Studying mammals: The opportunists

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Studying mammals: Meat eaters

The powerful and majestic carnivores are the focus of many television documentaries. In this free course, Studying mammals: Meat eaters, we will delve into the lives of these fearsome hunters and explore their physical adaptations and social behaviour. This is the fifth course in the Studying mammals series.

Learn more ❯Studying mammals: Meat eaters

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Studying mammals: Plant predators

From the mouse-deer to the elephant, plant eaters come in all shapes and sizes. But how do they manage to flourish on a salad diet? In this free course, Studying mammals: Plant predators, we will examine the special features that allow them to extract their nutrients from leaves, and see how some plants protect themselves from these predators. This is the fourth course in the Studying mammals series.

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Studying mammals: Chisellers

Ever wondered why rats, mice and squirrels seem to reproduce at such an alarming rate? Rodents are among the most successful of all the mammal groups. In this free course, Studying mammals: Chisellers, you will learn more about some of the evolutionary features that make these creatures so plentiful. This is the third course in the Studying mammals series.

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Studying mammals: Food for thought

Who were our ancestors? How are apes and humans related? And where does the extinct Homo erectus fit into the puzzle? In this free course, Studying mammals: Food for thought, we will examine culture, tool use and social structure in both apes and humans to gain an understanding of where we come from and why we behave as we do. This is the tenth course in the Studying mammals series.

Learn more ❯Studying mammals: Food for thought

There are even more courses on OpenLearn concerning mammals, so if the ‘Studying Mammals’ series still wasn’t enough, try these too:

Aquatic mammals

Mammals come in a bewildering variety of shapes and sizes and yet all of the 4700 or so species have some characteristics in common, which justifies the inclusion of diverse types within a single group. Although mammals evolved on land, a number of species have become adapted to spending part or all of their lives in water and it is these mammals that you are going to concentrate on in this course. You will meet some aquatic mammals, find out how we can study them, consider their evolutionary history and read about human impacts on one iconic group.

Learn more ❯Aquatic mammals

Introducing mammals

Mammals come in a bewildering variety of shapes and sizes, and yet all species have some characteristics in common. These similarities justify the inclusion of all such diverse types within the single taxonomic group (or class) called the Mammalia. This free course, Introducing mammals, offers a starting point for the study of mammals. It will establish their rich diversity, while highlighting the common features that define the group.  

Learn more ❯Introducing mammals

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Surviving the winter

In this free course, Surviving the winter, we study one aspect of the fluctuating nature of an organisms environment. We consider how organisms living in a temperate climate, such as that in Britain, are adapted to cope with winter. You will see that there is much diversity of adaptations among organisms, with different species coping with the demands of a fluctuating environment in quite different ways. As cyclic variations are a widespread feature of environments, the range of adaptations to them is an important source of biological diversity.

Learn more ❯Surviving the winter