MAMMALS

branch TAXONOMY (CLASSIFICATION)

Mammals


Mammals are a special group of animals. All mammals...

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• are vertebrates, which means they have a backbone or spine.

• are endothermic (warm blooded)

• have lungs and need oxygen to breathe

• have hair

• have three middle ear bones

• have mammary glands that produce milk for their young

• have a neocortex (a region of the brain).

The mammals include the largest and most intelligent animals on the planet. The basic body type is a four-legged land-borne animal, but some mammals are adapted for life at sea, in the air, in the trees, or on two legs.