This is a documentation subpage for Wikipedia:WikiProject Mammals/Article templates. It may contain usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original wikipedia page.

• To link every extant mammal species via a template, and each species can be reached by starting at the top template ((Mammals)).

• Content: The templates in this series contain only extant species; subspecies and extinct species are not included.
  • Subspecies: Subspecies are not included on these templates due to space restraints -- there just is not enough room to list all subspecies. For consistency, therefore, no subspecies are included. In instances where subspecies are just as well known as the regular species (i.e., the brown bear subspecies), instead it may be appropriate to create a separate template for that species; see Template:Arctos.
• Format: This template is used in conjunction with the other mammal species templates listed below. Please do not change the basic format of an individual template without discussion at Wikipedia Talk:WikiProject Mammals so a consensus can be reached to update the formating of all of the templates in the series. Formatting should remain consistent across all of the mammal templates.
• Edits: A correction, addition and/or removal of a species is welcome. Please remember to update all of the corresponding articles accordingly. Use MSW3 as a general guideline. If the edit is contradictory to MSW3, please be sure to provide a reliable source or the edit may be reverted.
• Renaming: If an article is moved to a different name (preferably its common name per MSW3), the redirect should be fixed on the accompanying template (see "Best practices" for formatting a template link).

The visible name (name appearing after the pipe) should be the same as the exact title of the article (name appearing before the pipe) followed by the scientific name:
[[Groundhog|Groundhog (''M. monax'')]]
     not
[[Groundhog|Woodchuck (''M. monax'')]]

[[Eastern gray squirrel|Eastern gray squirrel (''S. carolinensis'')]]
     not
[[Eastern gray squirrel|Eastern grey squirrel (''S. carolinensis'')]]

• Lower case common names: Per the Wikipedia Manual of Style, do not capitalize the common names of animal species (other than capitalizing the first letter of the entry, because it begins a list item).

Most templates utilize ((Navbox with collapsible groups)) while some of the smaller Orders utilize ((Navbox)). Many incorporate ((Navbox|subgroup)) into the template.

• Taxonomic rank:
  • The main title bar represents the name of the order.
  • The secondary title bar (on most templates) usually represents a suborder or family, and is labeled as such.
  • The vertical groupings are usually a family or subfamily, but are not labeled.
  • The genus is easily recognized as it is always in italics.
  • Tribes are generally not included in the template due to space constraints, unless it is significant to the classification.
  • The subgenus or subgroup is included in the list of species (not in its own group parameter) underlined and with the name part italicized, ex.: Subgenus Dolichohippus: (<u>Subgenus ''Dolichohippus''</u>:).

Each template attempts to represent all known extant species in that particular Order (per MSW3), as grouped below by infraclass.