Biology - What Are the Characteristics of a Mammal?

There are many different animals that qualify as mammals. Some live in the sea, some reside in trees, and some reside in penthouse apartments with a view of the town skyline. This is a quick rundown of the major characteristics shared by most mammals.

Mammals give birth to live babies, not eggs. If it lays an egg, it's most likely not a mammal, unless it is a duck-billed platypus, that is a whole other article. Almost every other kind of animal, even bugs and fish, lay eggs to make new babies. Apart from a few types of snakes and some unusual amphibians and birds, this is a trait that's uniquely of the mammalian family.

Mammals feed their young with milk. A mammal nourishes its young with milk stated in its own body. Once you contrast this with other types of animals you will see that this is a striking difference. Birds, for example, must go forage for food and regurgitate it in to the chick's mouth. Even  mammals  that reside in the water, like whales and dolphins, feed their young milk from their mammary glands.

https://zenwriting.net/wildlifechecklist782/5-weird-mammals-and-what-makes-them-different-from-the-rest  have hair. They originally started growing the hair being an insulation method. Mammals need to regulate their body temperature so that they don't get too cold or too hot. Some mammals, like monkeys, remain really hairy. Other mammals have evolved to presenting fairly little hair. But still other mammals insist upon shaving their hair, or using depilatory cream.

Mammals are warm-blooded. Unlike a cold-blooded animal, a mammal must keep its core body temperature pretty stable to keep life. Most mammals reside in climates that are pretty stable, and they can handle.

Mammals breathe air. Mammals use their lungs to take fresh air. That is in contrast to some animals, for instance fish, which breathe water. Because an animal has lungs and breathes air does not ensure it is a mammal. Many reptiles and amphibians also have this characteristic. Mammals that reside in the water need to resurface from time to time to obtain a re-up of oxygen.

So there you go, if an animal meets all of these criteria, you're probably coping with a mammal. A list of the most frequent mammals would include bats, rats, cows, monkeys, rhinos, elephants, sheep, cats, dogs, rabbits, whales, dolphins, giraffes, lions, and bears. If you have considered this list and taken a look at yourself, you haven't any doubt noticed that you meet all these standards as well.  Wildlife Checklist , you're a mammal! Of course you can find peculiar animals that don't have one or more of the characteristics but remain considered mammals.