[Animals] 7 Questions About Mammals Answered

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Mammals can do amazing things! This list will answer your questions about flying ones, venomous ones, really fast ones, and smelly ones.

Earlier versions of these questions and answers first appeared in the second edition of The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents) by Gina Misiroglu (2010).

 

Mammals are a class of animal. They have certain traits that distinguish them from animals in other classes, such as fish, reptiles, and amphibians. All mammals share two characteristics: they all feed their young with mammary gland milk, and they all have hair. Almost all of them are warm-blooded, which means they keep the inside of their bodies at a constant temperature. They do this by generating their own heat when they are in a cooler environment and by cooling themselves when they are in a hotter environment. Unlike reptiles, which sit in sunlight to regulate their body temperature, mammals wake up and are ready to go! In general, mammals spend much more time raising and training their young than other animals do. Some examples of mammals include apes, bats, lions, mice, moose, aardvarks, beavers, elephants, gorillas, pandas, hamsters, dogs, cats, horses, whales, and dolphins. Humans, as primates, are mammals too.

There are three types of mammals: placental mammals, monotremes, and marsupials. Placental mammals are those whose young are born live and at a relatively advanced stage. Before birth, the young are nourished through a placenta, which is a specialized embryonic organ that is attached to the mother’s uterus and delivers oxygen and nutrients to growing young. Most mammals are placental mammals, including cats, dogs, horses, and humans. The monotremes are egg-laying mammals. These include the echidnas (spiny anteaters) and the duck-billed platypus. Marsupials give birth to their young in an immature state, and most female marsupials have pouches in which to carry and nurse their young. Some marsupials include the koala, kangaroo, and the numbat. Some mammals, such as cows, horses, and pandas, are plant-eaters (herbivores). Others, including tigers, lions, and whales, are meat-eaters (carnivores). Other mammals, including bears, eat a combination of plants and meat (omnivores).

https://www.britannica.com/list/7-questions-about-mammals-answered