Signature series
Mammalia Phylogenetic Tree - 500 - Mono
Evolutionary biology · Mammalian phylogeny · 500 species
- Original infographic and mathematical visualisations by Simon Tyler
- Featured in The Guardian · The Times · Elle Decoration
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500 mammal species arranged by evolutionary relationship - from whales to bats, elephants to shrews. The diagram makes visible what the diversity obscures: all mammals descend from a small warm-blooded creature that survived the extinction that killed the dinosaurs.
About this print
About this print
Five hundred mammal species arranged by descent, from blue whales to shrews. Every one of them traces back to a small, warm-blooded animal that lived through the extinction event 66 million years ago - and the explosive fan of branches near the base of the diagram is the record of what happened once the dinosaurs were gone and the world was empty.
Some of the closest relationships are the least intuitive. Whales sit inside the group that contains hippos, cattle and deer, because that is where the genetics and the fossil record both put them. Elephants are closer to manatees than to any large land animal. Bats are not close to birds, or to rodents, or to anything else that seems obvious.
Rodents and bats between them account for well over half of all mammal species, which the tree shows plainly as two dense thickets among otherwise sparse branches. The animals people picture when they hear the word mammal are, statistically, the exceptions.
Part of the Signature series of scientific illustration prints.
The Signature series
The Signature series
Signature is a collection of mathematical, scientific and infographic visualisations - prime number distributions, evolutionary trees, geological timescales, and other structures that become something unexpected when rendered at print scale.
Each piece begins as a data-driven computational process and is developed into a finished artwork through a combination of custom code and design refinement. The aim is not to illustrate mathematics but to make the underlying structures visible - to find the image that was always inside the data.
The series draws on fields including number theory, evolutionary biology, palaeontology, topology, and information design.
Paper and printing
Paper and printing
All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.
Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.
Dimensions
Dimensions
Large · 50 × 70 cm · 20 × 28 in
XLarge · 70 × 100 cm · 28 × 40 in
Delivery
Delivery
UK: Free · 3-5 working days
Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges
USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days
Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days
Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days
All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.
Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.
Returns
Returns
Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.
Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.