WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF MAMMALS?

Mammals

Mammals are highly developed warm-blooded vertebrates that have hair on their body.

Mammals feed on their mother’s milk when young

Humans, bears, giraffes, mice, cats, dogs, whales, dolphins, walruses, and deer are all mammals

Most live on land, but some live in water

Mammals have two sets of appendages. Ones that live in water have flippers, and ones that live on land have legs

Many mammals have well developed lips and teeth. Some teeth are special for ripping and tearing, while flat teeth are for grinding food

Five Characteristics of Mammals

1. Mammals have hair on their bodies

2. Most mammals give birth to live young

3. Mammals feed their young with milk from their mother’s mammary glands.

4. Mammals care for their young until they can care for themselves

5. Mammals have well-developed brains

Classification of Mammals

There are about different kinds of mammals

A mammal is placed into a group based how it develops form birth

Most mammals give birth to live young, but small group lay eggs

Monotremes-mammals that lay eggs

There are two types of monotremes: duckbilled platypus, and the spiny anteater (look at p. 209)

The second group of mammals has pouches and are called marsupials

They give birth to live young that are not very developed. The young spend time in a pouch drinking milk and developing

The third group of mammals is fully developed at birth and is called placentals

Parents take care of the young until they can take care of themselves.

Examples include deer, mice, elephants, racoons, dolphins, and humans

Groups of Placentals

Placentals are grouped into smaller groups based on what they eat, how they move, and where they live.

The largest group is rodents which consist of rats, mice, squirrels, and beavers

The only animal in the flying mammal group is the bat which has long finger bones to help develop wings.

Meat-Eating Mammals

These mammals have special body structures to help eat other mammals. They have special teeth and claws

Examples: wolves, cats, dogs, bears, seals, and walruses

Trunk-Nosed Mammals

Examples are elephants. The trunk is a combination of the nose and upper lip (look at p. 211)

Insect-Eating Mammals

Examples are hedgehogs, moles, and shrews.

They have special features that help them find insects (Look at 212)

Toothless Mammals

Have no front teeth.

Examples include armadillos, sloths, and giant anteaters

Hoofed Mammals

2 groups-even toed and odd toed

Even toed examples include sheep, camels, cows, and deer

Odd toed examples include horses and zebras

Water Mammals

Examples are whales, dolphins, and porpoises

They are not fish because they breathe with lungs and do not have gills

They come to surface to receive air often through a hole on the top of their heads

Primates

Primates are the most intelligent kind of organism on earth

Examples include monkeys, chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, and humans.

Special Characteristics of Primates

Movable fingers, flexible thumbs, and advance eyesight

There are more than 200 species of primates

Most live in warm parts of the world, and some live in trees

Nearly all primates live in groups that gather food and each member has a specific job

Humans

Humans are most highly developed primates

Our skeleton allows us to walk upright, and we communicate with spoken language

We are the only primates that can make and use complex tools