Mammal Animals
Mammal animals are 1 out of 7 animal classes. Mammals are known for having vertebras and hair on their bodies. They are warm-blooded animals that give birth to young-helpless live creatures. Many mammals feed their babies the milk that they produce. The babies develop slowly and they live with their parents to learn the skills they need to survive until they became grown-up enough. Mammals can live in nearly any habitat on Earth because they are endothermic as well as their various hair thicknesses protect them under extreme circumstances. Mammals can be classified into 3 main classes, types: placental mammals, marsupials, and monotremes.
CHARACTERISTICS:
HOW MANY SPECIES IN THE WORLD: Over 4,000
THE LARGEST: Blue whale (136 metric tonnes/150 tons)
THE SMALLEST: hog-nosed bat (1.4 grams/0.05 ounces)
They are able to produce milk to feed their babies
Having hair on their bodies
Endothermic: a.k.a. “warm-blooded”
Vertebrates
PLACENTAL MAMMALS:
Humans, monkeys, bears, and cats are Some well-known examples of Placental mammals. This class of mammals is the largest group. Named after this because the babies are attaching to their mother’s placenta while they are developing inside her belly. The placenta provides the young with oxygen as well as nutrients from the mama’s blood, which allows them to develop and increase to a more proceeding stage before getting birth.
MARSUPIALS
Kangaroos and koalas are perfect examples of Marsupials. This class of mammals gives birth to an embryonic and tiny baby, however, it completes its growing period inside the mama’s body. The new-born baby climbs up the mama’s fur and settles inside her belly’s pouch. Then it starts latching onto a nipple and nurse itself almost frequently until it has grown enough to get out from that place.
MONOTREMES
There are only 5 species of monotremes: 4 species of echidna and the platypus. This type of mammal is the most primitive. They lay eggs but they produce milk and have hair. Their leathery eggs hatch into undeveloped, tiny offspring similar to reptile eggs. The young clutch to the mama’s fur on the belly and feed milk from pores instead of nipples.
SIZE RANGE
There are many characteristics that taxonomists classify mammals such as the arrangement and number of teeth, and the type and number of bones. These characteristics led taxonomists to classify mammals on more than 4,000 species.
Weighing 136 metric tonnes (150 tons) with 100-foot long, the blue whale is the largest mammal on earth. On the other hand, weighing only 1.4 grams (0.05 ounces), Kitti’s hog-nosed bat is the smallest. Furthermore, the male African elephant is the largest land mammal as weighs up to 6,810 kgs (15,000 pounds) and heightens 3.2 m (10.5 feet) at the shoulder.
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