How many mammal species are there now? Updates and trends in taxonomic, nomenclatural, and geographic knowledge.

ABSTRACT: The Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) is an open-access resource providing up-to-date taxonomic, nomenclatural, and geographic data for global mammal species. Since its launch in 2018, the MDD has transformed the traditionally static process of updating mammalian taxonomy into regular online releases reflecting the latest published research. To build on this foundation, we here present version 2.0 of the MDD (MDD2), which catalogues 6,759 living and recently extinct mammal species, representing net increases of 4.1% and 24.8% over MDD version 1.0 and Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition (MSW3), respectively. Additionally, we identify a net increase of 68.8% (+2,754; 3,149 splits + de novo, 395 lumps) species since 1980 at a rate of ~65 species/year based on past totals from 14 mam

SUBMITTER: Burgin CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11908242 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature