Our mammalian cousins are very important to us.īut how much do you really know about what it takes to be a mammal? Someone is a dog, bitch, stallion, pig, cow, kitten, bunny… we run like a rabbit, weasel out of a deal, are as sly as a fox, as strong as an Ox and can have a whale of a time! We are mammals (genetically a man and his dog are 97% the same) and we love them because they are like us. Many people are totally dependent on non-human mammals to keep their lives functioning (vegetarians and vegans excepted) and many of us need them as emotional supports as well. We use them to carry our burdens, support our foolish habits (gambling) and expect them to entertain us.
We eat them, ride them, keep them as pets, makes clothes out of them, hunt other mammals with them and use them as substitutes for ourselves in scientific (particularly medical) research. They fascinate and horrify us at the same time! Mammals are friendly or fierce, cuddly, cute and/or awesome – depending on which ones you look at. Elephant showing its big ears on Masai Mara savannah KenyaĮlephants and Whales, Pigs, Horses, Cattle, Sheep, Dogs, Cats, Hamsters, Rats and of course Human beings (that’s you and me) are all mammals. Large, warm-blooded, four-limbed vertebrates whose females produce milk (see What is a Mammal). You can see them easily – and perhaps most importantly you are one. While even Molluscs with a mere 85,000, still outnumber any 3 groups of vertebrates put together. Invertebrates – of course – have groups with huge numbers of species that outnumber all the vertebrates put together: Arachnids, with a 100,000 species and insects with 1,000,000. Three other groups of vertebrates out-number them right now: Mammals are in fact not the most speciose animal group on the planet. Though taxonomists are still arguing and species are still being found. There are about 6,399 species of mammals known on this planet at the moment. Mammals are the dominant life form on this planet at the moment, at least from a human perspective.
1 Fun & Interesting Facts About MammalsĬhances are – if you see an animal – it’s a mammal. Cats, dogs, horses, cows, pigs, mice, and several other animals are mammals. Most mammals are sexually dimorphic, with the males being larger than the females. The females give birth to the young and feed them milk for the first stage of their lives. They include rodents, primates, carnivores, bats, and ungulates. Mammalia is the largest class of animals in the world. Some are invertebrates, some have different physical features, and others have mammary glands. ConclusionĪll living organisms are divided into several groups according to their varying characteristics. They are highly intelligent animals and have been known to solve problems, learn, and follow commands. These dolphins have a short snout that resembles a gin bottle giving the mammal its name. Male common bottlenose dolphins reach a size of around 8 to 11 feet, while females reach a size of 6 to 9 feet. They are sexually dimorphic, with the males being larger than the females. There are around 40 distinct species of dolphins.Ĭommon bottlenose dolphins are the largest beaked dolphins and are often kept in captivity in dolphinariums. There are also some other minor features, such as the fact that mammals are often sexually dimorphic (males and females look different), and more.ĭolphins are aquatic mammals found in oceans around the world, except for the polar regions. Mammals give birth to their babies instead of laying eggs like other species, with a few exceptions of the platypus and echidna. The most important characteristic among mammals is the presence of mammary glands in females, which produce milk. 
The young feed on milk produced by the mother’s mammary glands. Animals in the Mammalia class have five characteristics and features that distinguish them from other animals: Mammals belong to a class of vertebrates called Mammalia. This article lists the top 15 most well-known mammals in the world. There are several classes in the animal kingdom which divide organisms based on their characteristics. Cats, dogs, lions, tigers, elephants, and horses are some examples of mammals. Mammals are one of the most abundant animal groups in the world.
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