All about Mammals

Mammals are one of the 6 main classes of animals.  Animal classes are groups of
animals that scientists consider to be alike in some important ways.  Mammals are the
animal class that people belong to.  

There are only about 4,000 kinds of mammals. This sounds like a lot, but when you
consider there are 21,000 kinds of fish and a whopping 800,000 kinds of insects you’ll
realize mammals are a pretty small class!

Here are some of the ways that mammals are alike!

Mammals are warm

blooded

The temperature could be freezing cold, or boiling hot, but mammals’ bodies are built to
maintain just about the same temperature all the time. Warm blood lets the mammals be
very active and live in a wide variety of places.

Mammals are everywhere. Polar bears live in very cold areas. Camels live in hot areas.
Moles live under the ground. Bats live in caves and fly in the air. Dolphins live in the
oceans.  Fur and fat help protect mammals who live in the cold. Mammals sweat or pant
to release extra heat if they live somewhere toasty.

Mammals have fur or hair.

Sometimes it's long hair covers their entire
body.  Sometimes it's very short hair or there
are just a few strands.
Even mammals that swim under the water (like dolphins and whales) have hair.  Though
you would need a magnifying glass to see the fine hair on the lips of a young whale.

Mammals are the only animals with true hair.  Hairs are dead cords
of a substance called keratin which is also what our fingernails are
made from.  The most important part is that hair is dead.

What looks like hair on a fly or a spider actually contains living

parts of the animal. 
That means if you cut a spider's hair it would HURT!  (err, the
spider)

Mammal Babies: We all drink milk?

Most mammal babies live inside their mothers

before they are born, just like humans.

How many things can you see in common

between this human baby and this kitty baby?

When the baby is big enough, it comes out of its

mother’s body. Many people mistakenly think
that being born alive is something all mammals
have in common. There are, however, a few
mammals (like the duckbilled platypus) who lay
eggs like a bird!
So what do mammal babies have in common?

Well, even though some baby mammals are born different

ways, they all drink milk that comes from their mothers' bodies.
Baby pigs, dolphins, bats and elephants all drink milk!
Because the babies rely on their mother's milk to live, the
mammal mommies have to care for their young.  The length of
time varies from a few weeks for mice to many years for
humans!

People have "baby teeth" or "milk teeth".  So do all of the other mammals!  The only
exceptions are mammals like anteaters -- they don't have any teeth at all.

Mammal mothers are hard workers. Baby mammals learn from their mothers. Most of
the mothers don’t really try to teach their babies, but the babies watch their mother and
do the things they see her do. Through copying their mothers, baby mammals learn
everything they need to survive.

So, what do mammals eat when they grow up? They eat all sorts of different things!
Lions are mammals that eat meat – they are called carnivores. Cows are mammals that
eat plants – they are called herbivores. People are mammals who eat meat and plants –
they are called omnivores

Mammals are spineless.

You're a spineless chicken!  Err, perhaps it's a good insult, but it isn't very factual.   If
someone does call you a spineless chicken, you can wow them with your knowledge of
the animal kingdom with a witty response like...

"First of all, people are mammals -- not birds.  Secondly, neither birds nor mammals are
spineless!"

Mammals are a vertebrate, which means that they all have backbones (spines).  Believe
it or not, most animals don't have backbones -- mammals are one of the few groups that
do.  

All mammals, except some sea cows and sloths have seven bones in their necks.  This
includes giraffes who have VERY long spines!  Their necks can be 6 1/2 feet long, but
they're still made up of just seven bones.
 All about Birds.
What's a bird?
Do you know what makes a bird different from other animals?

Is it the pretty colours?

No -- other animals, like fish and

insects, come in all sorts of beautiful
colors too.
Karner Blue Butterfly -
Blue Jay - bird insect
 

Is it the bill or beak?

No -- other animals, like the duck billed

platypus (a mammal), have bills too.
platypus - mammal
toucan - bird
 

Is it the eggs? cr
oco
No -- other animals, like fish, dile
amphibians, reptiles, insects and even egg
some mammals, hatch from eggs as
well.
penguin egg

Is it the wings?

No -- other animals, like insects and

  some mammals, have wings.

bald eagle - bird dragonfly - insect

Scientific information:   

  Penguins make up the scientific "order" Sphenisciformes.   

  Puffins belong to the scientific order Alcidae.  
  Ostriches make up the scientific order Struthioniformes.  
  Cassowaries and Emus make up the scientific order Casuariiformes.  
  Kiwis make up the scientific order Apterygidae.  
  Rheas make up the scientific order Rheiformes.  

Then what is it!?

Feathers!  

All birds have feathers and birds are the only animals that do!
Feathers do many jobs for birds.  Soft down keeps them warm,
wing feathers allow flight and tail feathers are used for steering.
The color of the feathers can be used to hide the bird or to help
peacock - bird the bird find a boyfriend or a girlfriend!

 Scientific information:  Birds are a scientific "class".  The scientific name for the class
is Aves

The Raptors

Birds of prey or "raptors" are meat eating birds that use their strong feet, talons and
hooked beaks to catch and kill their prey.  This group includes eagles, osprey, hawks,
owls (Great Horned Owl), kites, harriers, buzzards, merlins, vultures, goshawks and
condors.  They eat small mammals such as mice and rabbits, fish, snakes, and even
other birds.  Some catch and kill their food and others (like vultures) feast on the
leftovers other hunters leave behind.  
Look at the photo of the bald eagle to the left.  Can you see how
strong its beak looks?  See how it has a hooked end?  This beak
is used to tear into flesh. 

Birds don't have teeth... can you guess why?  Teeth are heavy
and would make it very difficult for birds to fly.  This is especially
important for birds of prey that must fly swiftly to catch their food. 
Birds "chew" their food inside a part of the stomach called the
gizzard.  The gizzard has strong muscles which grind the food
bald eagle against a rough inner surface to break it down.
I spy with my little eye...

Raptor eyes are so big that they cannot move them.  The bird has to turn
its entire head to look around (that's where the idea that owls can spin their
heads around comes from... they can't really, but they can turn their heads
a LOT farther than we can!) owl
The eyes of a raptor are so important for their survival, that they have three
eyelids.  The third one is partially see-through (partly "transparent") which
allows the birds of prey to protect their eyes when attacking prey and still
have some sight.
  

Birds of prey have eyesight that is at least two or three times better than ours.  Some
can see a grasshopper from the other side of a football field!  Golden eagles can spot a
rabbit from over a mile away and owls have great night vision so they can hunt in the
dark.  

A bird of prey's toenails are called talons. Talons are very sharp,
hook-like appendages that are used to catch prey and balance on
trees.

Raptors that spend a lot of time soaring above the ground in search
of prey have long broad wings that allow them to catch rising air
currents and soar through the air.  Soaring saves energy because
the bird doesn't have to flap its wings to stay aloft.   Soaring also
makes it harder for a potential meal to spot the bird of prey.  
hawk

Raptor Babies

No matter what type of animal we're

talking about, babies are cute -- but
they're also a lot of work.

From just before the eggs are laid to

midway through the nesting period, the
male bird is busy hunting for food for the
female and babies.
Most birds of prey lay one to six eggs, but they don't lay them all at once.  They wait a
day or two after each egg before laying the next.  The first chick to hatch is bigger than
the others and may actually kill its younger siblings if food is scarce.  I'm sure all of us
oldest children have envied the raptors once or twice in our lifetimes.

The length of time it takes for the babies to get large enough to start flying is called the "fledgling period".  This
can be anywhere between 20 and 150 days.  This is a big part of the raptor parents' life!  Especially since they lay
eggs every year.

 Waterfowl
From Daffy Duck to Mother Goose, waterfowl seem to be some of the most popular birds
to turn into cartoon characters.  Perhaps it's the oversized bills, the nasal QUACK/HONK
or the slight waddle in the walk that make these birds such a fond part of children's
literature and television.  Whatever the attraction, these ugly ducklings have been turning
into swans for generations.
  

The main characteristic of ducks, geese and swans

(known as waterfowl) is that they all love to swim. 
Although they have somewhat different diets, they all
spend a lot of time in the water.  Ducks and swans dip,
duck and dive to get at insects, snails, small fish and
water plants.  Geese mainly graze on land in fields and
meadows eating plants, grass and seeds.
mallard ducks
When they aren't in the water, waterfowl waddle their
way through life.

Swans and most ducks are clumsy and awkward on

land.  Some kinds of ducks can barely walk at all,
and hardly ever leave the water.  Geese are a bit
better at walking, since they spend a lot of time
feeding on land, but you can still make out the
waddle if you watch them for awhile.

Those awkward legs are great in the water though. 

The legs are quite far apart and the feet are webbed mute swan  (trumpeter swans
which makes waterfowl a graceful group of have black bills, 
swimmers.  mute swans have orange bills)
  
 With a Quack, Quack here and a Meow, Meow there?  

Ducks say "quack".  Geese and swans say "honk"... right?

Well, for the most part that is true, but although many geese do
honk and most ducks do quack, others make altogether different
sounds.
redhead duck

Some geese cackle and cluck like hens and chickens.  Some ducks squeal, squeak and
cluck.  And a male Redhead Duck MEOWS like a cat.

... I'll bet that confuses the other birds in the marsh! 

Bills, bills, bills

When we spoke about raptors, we noted that their beaks were hooked and
pointed for tearing flesh.

Waterfowl have very different beaks (or bills).  They are flat and rounded. 
Perfect for rooting around in soft marsh soil for plants and small animals
 

Of all the cute images of waterfowl you'll find in books and

cartoons, the image of mom followed by a row of little
waddling goslings (or ducklings) is the cutest.

Most waterfowl build their nests near the water's edge. 

Though there are some ducks that make their nests in trees
or holes in the ground.

geese  

Baby waterfowl hatch with their eyes open and can walk and swim right away.  While the
babies are growing up, first one parent and then the other molts or sheds the long wing
and tail feathers.  While they are molting, the parent cannot fly.  But by the end of
summer, both parents have grown new feathers as have the young ones, so they are all
able to migrate together. 

And that brings us to the last characteristic of waterfowl -- most of them migrate.  They
form flocks (or groups) of birds and form familiar patterns in the sky.  Some like the
Canada Geese, fly in a pattern shaped like a V.   Others such as Black Brants fly in a
single slanting line.
Although these patterns may seem odd, they have a very important purpose.  The first goose in line pushes through
the air and makes a path for the others.  It really does make it easier for the others to fly!  When the leader gets
tired, it drops back and another moves up to take its place!

 Flightless Birds
Although it's true that all birds have feathers and wings, that doesn't necessarily mean
they can all fly.
A penguin spends as much as 75% of its
life at sea.  It doesn't use its wings to fly -- it
uses them to swim.

Its streamlined body and strong wings allow

it to swim as fast as 15 miles per hour after
fish, krill, squid and crustaceans. 

Check out our KidZone Penguins section

for more fun facts, photos and activities
about penguins.

penguin swimming

Puffins CAN fly, but they tend not to.  Like

the penguin, it uses its wings to move
through the water catching fish and other
small sea creatures by diving.

Puffins spend a few months each year living

on an island.  The rest of the time they live
in the northern seas.

Puffins only go to the island when it is time

to have babies.  When the baby hatches
and reaches about 6 weeks old, the parents puffin
return to the sea, stranding it on the island. 
All by itself, the chick learns to swim and
catch fish to eat.
 The largest living bird is the ostrich which can be as big as
8 feet tall and 330 pounds.  The ostrich relies on its
speed, size and strong kick rather than flight for safety. 
An ostrich can kill a person with one kick and can run up
to 40 miles per hour.

Ostriches live in flocks in dry parts of Africa.  Flocks can

have as many as 600 birds in them.  

Ostriches are vegetarian and spend much of their time

searching out water.

The emus of Australia are the second

largest bird.  They can grow to 6 feet tall
and weigh 100 pounds.  Emus are also fast
runners.  

They live in smaller flocks on the dry plains

and deserts in Australia.  They feed on
leaves, grass, and insects.

Father emus are the caregivers -- they build

the nests, incubate the eggs and raise the
babies until they are able to take care of
themselves. Australian emu

The New Zealand Kiwi has nothing to do

with kiwifruit.  It lives in moist forests and
uses its long, bendable bill to poke around
the ground in search of worms.

Unlike many of the other flightless birds, the

kiwi is not very large.  It's only about a foot
and a half long.  To avoid predators, the
kiwi hides during the day and comes out at
night to search for food.

The kiwi has fine feathers that make it look

almost furry.  It has no tail feathers and its
wings are so small they're typically not very
easy to see.  
  The Rhea of South America, the Kakapo of New Zealand and the Cassowary of Australia and New
Guinea are also flightless birds.  A number of extinct birds were also flightless, including the Dodo of
Mauritius and the Moa and Dinornis of New Zealand.
   All about Fish
 

What distinguishes fish from the other animal classes? 

Fish are a class of aquatic vertebrates.  The combination of

gills, fins and the fact that they live only in the water make
fish different from all other animals.
Clownfish.
Photo Source:  Leanne
Guenther

Fish spend all of their lives in the

water and are cold-blooded with
the exception of Tuna family and
the Mackerel shark family.

Some fish are beautiful...

And some...not so much.

Scientists believe that there are

more than 24,000 
different species of fish in the
world. 
Lion Fish or Scorpion fish
 
Yes!
A seahorse is a fish.

 
They range in size from the largest, Whale The
shark at 16 m (51 ft) long, to the smallest the 8
mm (1/4 in.) Stout Infant fish.

Whale Shark is the largest 

member of the fish family.

  Most fish have a skeleton made of bone but some, like sharks, have a skeleton made of
cartilage. Shark skeletons are made of cartilage, not bone.

We are not FISH!

Many people mistakenly group whales and dolphins

into the fish family. They are actually mammals.  They
are warm-blooded, feed their babies with milk from
their bodies and breathe air into lungs.

 
Jellyfish and starfish are not fish at all!  They are marine invertebrates.
 All about Reptiles

So what makes a reptile a

reptile? 

The two biggest clues are:

   1) they are cold-blooded, and 
   2) they are covered in scales.
  Being cold-blooded means that their bodies
react to the temperature of their
surroundings. When they get too warm, they
can go into the water or shade to cool off. 

A turtle finds some shade to cool down.

A lizard catches some sun to warm

 When they get too cold they can hang out in the
up.
sun to warm themselves up.

Some creatures that

belong to the reptile
group of animals are
snakes, alligators,
crocodiles, tortoises,
lizards, etc.

 
 Scales protect
their bodies.
Scales can be
hard or soft,
large or small. 
Snake Scales
A crocodile's back has Photo Source:  Corel Web Gallery
large bumpy scales.
Photo Source:  Corel Web Gallery
  

Reptiles are born on land and are born with

strong instincts, so they are on their own at
birth.  Just think, no parents to nag them
about cleaning their rooms

Photo Source:  Corel Web Gallery

 
 All about Amphibians

The word amphibian means two-lives. 

Amphibians spend their lives in the water and
on land.
 

 All amphibians begin their life in water

with gills and tails. As they grow, they
develop lungs and legs for their life on
land. 
Bullfrog tadpole.

Amphibians are
cold-blooded,
which means that
they are the
same
temperature as
  the air or water
around them. 

There are more than 4,000 different kinds of

amphibians. Members of this animal class are
frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and
caecilians or blindworms

 
Fire Salamander
  All about Arthropods
What is an arthropod? 

You live with them almost everyday, even in the very cold
winter months! They are everywhere and are the largest animal
phylum -- about 85% of all known animals in the world are part
of this class.  

There are far more species of arthropods than there are

species in all the other phylum’s(phyla) combined.
 
They are spiders, insects,
centipedes, mites, ticks,
lobsters, crabs, shrimp,
crayfish, krill, barnacles,
scorpions and many,
many others.  
Mosquito Grasshopper

The easiest way to tell

an arthropod from any
other animal is to see if
they have:

1) A segmented body.

A segmented body. This

  means that they will
Can you see two have a body made up of
more than one part. Can you see three segments?
segments?
Spiders have two
segments and flies have
three segments.

 
2) Many jointed legs or limbs.

Spiders have 8 legs, millipedes

can have... hundreds!

centipede

3)  An exoskeleton.

This is an external skeleton. Like armor, it protects the

arthropods body. When arthropods are born the
exoskeleton is soft but hardens quickly and it can be
shed as the creature grows.  Arthropods are
invertebrates; which means that they do not have a
backbone. 
Crab

4)  Cold blooded

Arthropods are cold blooded --

which means, their body
temperature depends on the
temperature of the environment
surrounding them. 

Arthropods are some of the most interesting animals in

the world!  

They fly, they creep, and they crawl.  They live on

land, in ponds and in the ocean.  From ants to
bumblebees, crabs to crayfish, and spiders to
centipedes -- which are your favorites!?
Photo Source:  Corel Web
Gallery

 
Scientific stuff:  Arthropods include eleven animal classes

Subphylum Chelicerata
Class Merostomata (horseshoe crabs, eurypterids) 
Class Pycnogonida (sea spiders) 
Class Arachnidan (spiders, ticks, mites) 
  
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Remipedia 
Class Cephalocarida 
Class Branchiopoda (fairy shrimp, water fleas) 
Class Maxillopoda (ostracods, copepods, barnacles) 
Class Malacostraca (isopods, amphipods, krill, crabs, shrimp) 
  
Subphylum Uniramia
Class Chilopoda (centipedes) 
Class Diplopoda (millipedes) 
Class Insecta (all of the insects including ants, bees, beetles and butterflies)

Animal Classes

No, animal classes are not like the classes people have at school!

An animal class is made up of animals that are all alike in important

ways. Scientists have grouped animals into classes to make it
easier to study them.

There are many different animal classes and every animal in the
world belongs to one of them. The five most well known classes of
vertebrates (animals with backbones) are mammals, birds, fish,
reptiles, amphibians.  They are all part of the phylum chordata -- I
remember "chordota" by thinking of spinal chord.

There are also a lot of animals without backbones.  These are called
invertebrates and are part of the phylum arthropoda (arthropods). 
Two of the most commonly known classes in this phylum are
arachnids (spiders) and insects.
 
 

Mammals

People are mammals. So are The answer is – MILK! If an

dogs, cats, horses, duckbill
platypuses, kangaroos, dolphins
and whales. What do all these
animals have in common, you
ask?
animal drinks milk when it is a
baby and has hair on its body,
it belongs to the mammal class.
 Birds
Birds are animals that have feathers and that
are born out of hard-shelled eggs.

Some people think that what makes an

animal a bird is its wings. Bats have wings.
Flies have wings. Bats and flies are not birds.
So what makes an animal a bird?

The answer is feathers!

All birds have feathers and birds are the

only animals that do. The feathers on a
bird’s wings and tail overlap. Because
they overlap, the feathers catch and hold
the air. This helps the bird to fly, steer
itself and land.

Amphibians
Amphibians are born in the
water. When they are born,
they breathe with gills like a fish.
But when they grow up, they
develop lungs and can live on
land.

  
 Fish
Fish are vertebrates that live in water and have gills, scales
and fins on their body.  There are a lot of different fish and
many of them look very odd indeed.  There are blind fish,
fish with noses like elephants, fish that shoot down passing
bugs with a stream of water and even fish that crawl onto
land and hop about!

Reptiles
Reptiles are a class of animal
with scaly skin. They are cold
blooded and are born on land.
 
Snakes, lizards, crocodiles,
alligators and turtles all belong
to the reptile class.

Arthropods
Arthropods is a huge phylum of
animals -- it includes eleven animal
classes:  Merostomata,  Pycnogonida,
Arachnida, Remipedia,
Cephalocarida, Branchiopoda,
Maxillopoda, Malacostraca,
Chilopoda, Diplopoda, and Insecta.

Any animals that have more than four, jointed legs are
arthropods. Insects, spiders and crustaceans all
belong to this class of animals.