SUMMARY
Mammals live on every continent and in every ocean on our planet.

One of the best places to observe some of North America's 385 mammals (among the world's 4260 classified species) is on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern California, where more than 100 species live. Rodents are especially abundant in this region due to its location at the junction of several major ecosystems.

In many areas of the world, mammal diversity is shrinking. The long list of threatened and endangered mammal species continues to grow, driven by habitat destruction, introduced species, overexploitation (hunting), and climate modification based on human activities.

Activity
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