Concept in Definition ABC

Mammals are by far the best known and most easily identifiable animals in the animal world, although it is impossible to speak of a certain number of species due to the very high variety of animals that fall under this heading. Mammals, including humans, share certain basic elements that have to do with the mode of reproduction, growth, feeding and in some cases the anatomical shape.

They can begin by describing mammals as vertebrates that have mammary glands (hence their name) to through which the female feeds her young with her own milk, a process that does not occur among reptiles or birds. In addition, mammals have hair or skin unlike reptiles, fish and birds that have scales or feathers respectively. On the other hand, mammals live from consumption oxygen and production from dioxide of carbon that is exhaled to environment in which they live. Mammals also share the respiratory system, the skin, the reproductive system, and the nervous system. In addition, mammals are characterized by being all warm-blooded animals unlike other animals.

Mammals are classified into three main types of animals: those that lay eggs such as the platypus, marsupials (which are characterized by having a kind of bag where carry the young, such as the kangaroo or koala) and those born from the placenta (animals that develop to be born in the middle of the placenta, that is, most mammals known).

Among the mammals we can find those that are terrestrial, those that are aquatic (such as the whale), those of locomotion aerial (bats) or those that live in trees (such as the sloth). In addition, depending on the type of mammalian species there are carnivorous mammals (those that live only on the consumption of meat), herbivores (herbs) and omnivores (such as humans who consume a variety of from food).