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Mammals. Lindsey Riehl, Renee Reazor, Maura Sprecher. Mammals. Mammals are one of the 6 main classes of animals There are about 4500 species of mammals They were found to have evolved from reptiles called synapsids 275-310 million years ago Mammal comes from the Latin word “mamma”.
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Mammals Lindsey Riehl, Renee Reazor, Maura Sprecher
Mammals • Mammals are one of the 6 main classes of animals • There are about 4500 species of mammals • They were found to have evolved from reptiles called synapsids 275-310 million years ago • Mammal comes from the Latin word “mamma”
Characteristics of Mammals • All mammals have hair or fur • What looks like hair on a fly or a spider actually contains living parts of the animal. So if you cut the hair of a spider it would actually hurt them! • Mammals are warm blooded • Most mammals give live birth but all mammal mothers nurse their young • All mammals are vertebrates, but believe it or not most animals don’t have a backbone • Activity: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/mammals/challenges/ click on mammal maker
Types of Mammals • Monotremes: The monotremes are primitive egg-laying mammals. Modern-day monotremes include the echidnas (spiny ant-eaters) and the duck-billed platypus.
Types of Mammals • Marsupials: Marsupials are another group of mammals; their young are born in an extremely immature state; most female marsupials have pouches. Some marsupials include the koala, kangaroo, and the numbat.
Types of Mammals • Placental mammals: Placental mammals are mammals whose young are born at a relatively advanced stage (more advanced than the young of other mammals, the monotremes and marsupials). Before birth, the young are nourished through a placenta. The placenta is a specialized embryonic organ that is attached the mother's uterus and delivers oxygen and nutrients to the young. Most mammals are placental mammals, like cats, dogs, horses, and people.
Eating Habits • Mammals have to eat a lot to maintain their high body temperature. Diets vary from genus to genus. • Herbivores- like beavers, cows, horses, pandas • Carnivores- like whales, dolphins, tigers • Omnivores- like people and some bears • Insectivores- like aardvarks and anteaters • ---The diet and ecology of mammals have influenced the evolution of the shape of the skull and type of teeth
More About Mammals • The lungs of mammals are more efficient at obtaining oxygen than the lungs of reptiles and amphibians. • Mammals have a 4-chambered hearts. • Mammals nourish their young with milk. Milk is produced by mammary glands located on the female’s chest or abdomen. All mammals have mammary glands. • Young mammals are nourished on milk from birth until weaning. • Mammals are more diverse in size, anatomy, and habitat than all other vertebrate groups. • All mammals reproduce by internal fertilization. • Mammals are divided into the three groups based on differences in how and where the fertilized egg develops.
Fun Facts • 25% can fly • No two giraffes have the same spot pattern • Whales and dolphins sleep with one side of their brain at a time with the other side awake to watch for danger • Chimpanzees can bald as they age just like humans • Hippopotamuses produce a reddish oil from their sweat glands to act as a sunscreen • Howler monkeys are the loudest animals • http://www.pitara.com/activities/quiz/online.asp?qname=mammals
Works Cited • http://www.zimbio.com/member/JungleJane/articles/2553200/Unusual+Animals+Civet+Echidna • http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/pho/t049/T049934A.jpg • http://www.lincolnhall.net/nss-folder/pictures1/OZ.Numbat.jpg • http://borrowedearth.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/koala.jpg • http://www.geckoandfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/cats_sleeping_positions.jpg • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/ • http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/mammals.htm