← Back to catalogue
Published

mammal

vr.tr.mammal · thing-q7377

Let an agent handle mammals by taxonomy, traits, habitat, conservation and human interaction.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.LIV
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Taxonomy Classification.

Group

Order and family.

Group

Classification.

  1. Which order and family does this mammal belong to? definition
  2. Under which taxonomy? provenance

Traits

Features.

Traits

Traits.

  1. Which traits identify it as a mammal? definition
  2. Is it egg-laying or pouched? definition
Ecology Where and how.

Habitat

Range.

Habitat

Habitat.

  1. Where does it live? provenance
  2. What does it eat? definition

Behaviour

Social life.

Behaviour

Behaviour.

  1. How does it behave socially? definition
  2. When is it active? definition
Conservation Status.

Status

Red List.

Status

Conservation status.

  1. What is its IUCN status? provenance
  2. What threatens it? boundary

Trade

CITES.

Trade

Wildlife trade.

  1. Is trade in it restricted? boundary
  2. Under which appendix? provenance
People Interaction.

Domestic

Pets and livestock.

Domestic

Domestic mammals.

  1. Is it domesticated, and what welfare needs does it have? boundary
  2. Who can advise on care? action

Health

Zoonoses and bites.

Health

Health risks.

  1. Can it transmit disease to people? boundary
  2. What should be done after a bite? action

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.LIV
Other names and narrower kinds
seal pup, squealer, zorse, hebra, suckling animals, Hyena, mammal hybrid, extinct mammal, freshwater seal, genetically modified mammal, milk yielding animal, prehistoric mammal

What it is Filled

A class of vertebrate animals (Mammalia) that nurse their young with milk from mammary glands and have hair and three middle ear bones; includes monotremes, marsupials and placental mammals such as humans.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent handle mammals by taxonomy, traits, habitat, conservation and human interaction.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Milk-fed young
  • Hair
  • Three middle ear bones
  • Monotremes lay eggs

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Hunt, trap, harm or disturb wild mammals outside what the law allows.
  • Disturb breeding sites, dens or roosts of protected species.
  • Publish the precise locations of rare or poached species.
  • Handle wild mammals in ways that risk spreading disease to them or to people.

Only with a human decision

  • Capturing, moving or putting down any mammal.
  • Intervening with a stranded or injured animal.

May

  • Identify and count mammals from images, tracks or sounds for surveys and records.
  • Report injured, stranded or distressed mammals to the responsible welfare or wildlife body.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Mammals feel pain and fear; their welfare matters whether wild or kept.
  • Many species are threatened by habitat loss and trade.

Who is affected

  • The animals themselves
  • People who live with or near them
  • Conservation workers

Owners Filled

Steward

Nobody owns wild mammals, which are protected by law; keepers answer for domestic ones.

Master systems

  • National biodiversity and species databases
  • Livestock and pet registers

Links to other meta-models Filled

related

  • animal and vertebrate - taxonomy
  • human, dog, cat, whale - members
  • wildlife law - conservation
  • IUCN Red List - status

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.mammal
  • Wikidata: Q7377 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7377)
  • taxon name: Mammalia class
  • NCBI Taxonomy: 40674 taxon id

Direct properties required Filled

  • number of species: about 6500 species - estimate varies
  • body mass: 2 g to about 150 t mass - shrews to blue whale

Recognition required Filled

  • Hair and mammary glands
  • Live birth in most species
  • Hybrids such as zorses are named crosses
  • Hair or fur, mostly four-limbed, from shrews to whales.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • identify and classify them
  • observe them in the wild
  • care for domestic mammals
  • protect threatened species

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Zoonotic disease
  • Bites and attacks
  • Habitat loss and extinction

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • CITES
  • Animal welfare law
  • National wildlife protection law

Context of use required Filled

  • A major group of animals, including humans, livestock, pets and wildlife.
  • monotremes
  • marsupials
  • placental mammals
  • orders such as primates, rodents, bats, carnivorans, cetaceans

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q7377: mammal - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Mammal - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should orders be separate entries?
  • How should species data be linked?
  • How should hybrid names be handled?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q7377/spec.json