Different Types of Animals

We've been fond of animals, either passing them through our lives or not knowing they have different types we are unfamiliar with. For instance, why do some animals live on both land and water? or some fish can give birth to their offspring alive, not by egg. How about us humans? What type of animal are we? How could that happen, you ask? Well, let us learn some new knowledge that will surely catch your attention as we move forward with this discussion. Let us focus and be mesmerized as we discover the world of mammals.

What is a Mammal?
-mammal (class Mammalia), any member of the group of vertebrae animals in which the young are nourished with milk from the special mammary gland of the mother.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A MAMMAL

1. Hair and Fur

Zebras at a waterhole — Digital Vision / Getty Images

   All mammals have hair growing from some parts of their bodies during at least some stage of their life cycle. Mammalian hair can take on several different forms, including thick fur, long whiskers, defensive quills, and even horns. Hair serves a variety of functions: insulation against the cold, protection for delicate skin, camouflage against predators (as in zebras and giraffes), and sensory feedback (as with the sensitive whiskers the everyday house cat). Generally speaking, the presence of hair goes hand-in-hand with a warm-blooded metabolism. What about mammals that don't have any visible body hair, such as whales? Many species, including whales and dolphins, have sparse amounts of hair during the earliest stages of their development, while others retain wispy patches of hair on their chins or upper lips.

2. Mammary Glands
By Duke.of.arcH - www.flickr.com/photos/dukeofarch/ Getty Images
   Unlike other vertebrates, mammals nurse their young with milk produced by mammary glands, which are modified and enlarged sweat glands consisting of ducts and glandular tissues that secrete milk through nipples. This milk provides young with much-needed proteins, sugars, fats, vitamins, and salts. Not all mammals have nipples, however. Monotremes such as the platypus, which diverged from other mammals early in evolutionary history, secrete milk through ducts located in their abdomens.

   3. Warm-Blooded Metabolisms
Anup Shah / Getty Images

   Mammals aren't the only vertebrates to have endothermic(warm-blooded) metabolisms. It's a trait that's shared by modern birds and their ancestors, the theropod (meat-eating) dinosaurs of the Mesozoic era, however, one can argue that mammals have made better use of their endothermic physiologies than any other vertebrate order. It's the reason cheetahs can run so fast, goats can climb the sides of mountains, and humans can write books. As a rule, cold-blooded animals like reptiles have much more sluggish metabolisms since they must rely on external weather conditions to maintain their internal body temperatures. (Most cold-blooded species can barely write poetry, although some of them are allegedly lawyers.)

4. Three Bones in the Middle Ear
   Dorling Kindersley / Getty Images

   The three inner ear bones, the incus, the malleus, and the stapes—commonly referred to as the hammer, the anvil and the stirrup—are unique to mammals. These tiny bones transmit sound vibrations from the tympanic membrane (a.k.a. the eardrum) to the inner ear and transform the vibrations into neural impulses that are then processed by the brain. Interestingly, the malleus and incus of modern mammals evolved from the lower jawbone of the immediate predecessors of mammals, the "mammal-like reptiles" of the Paleozoic Era known as therapsids.

IMPORTANCE OF MAMMALS IN ECOSYSTEM
   Mammals have important roles in the food webs of practically every ecosystem. Mammals are important members of food chains and food webs, as grazers and predators. Mammals can feed at various levels of food chains, as herbivores, insectivores, carnivores and omnivores.
   Mammals also interact with other species in many symbiotic relationships. For example, bats have established mutually beneficial relationships with plants. Nectar-feeding bats receive a tasty treat from each flower, and, in return, they pollinate the flowers. That means they transfer pollen from one flower to another, allowing the plant to reproduce. Non-flying mammalian pollinators include marsupials, primates, and rodents. In most cases, these animals visit flowers to eat their nectar, and end up with pollen stuck to their bodies. When the animal visits another flower to eat the nectar, the pollen is transferred to that flower.

CULTURAL IMPORTANCE
  Mammals have also played a significant role in different cultures’ folklore and religion. For example, the grace and power of the cougar have been admired in the cultures of the native peoples of the Americas. The Inca city of Cuzco is designed in the shape of a cougar, and the thunder god of the Inca, Viracocha, has been associated with the animal. In North America, mythological descriptions of the cougar have appeared in the stories of several American Indian tribes.
   Important mammals include Dolly the sheep, Lassie the dog, and flipper the dolphin. Dolly was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic (body) cell, using the process of nuclear transfer. Lassie was a collie dog who appeared in seven full length feature films in the 1940s and 1950s, starting with *Lassie Come Home* in 1943. Additional Lassie movies were made as recently as 2005. Between 1954 and 1973, the *Lassie* television series aired, with plenty of additional productions as recently as 2007. Flipper was a bottle nose dolphin that starred in a television series between 1964 and 1967. The most famous mammal may be *King Kong,* the giant gorilla that terrorized New York City in 1933 in the movie of the same name.

IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS

   Wild mammals are a major source of food in some parts of the world, and many different kinds, from fruit bats and armadillos to whales, are captured and eaten by various cultural groups. In addition, hunting, primarily for sport, of various rodents, lagomorphs, carnivores, and ungulates is a multibillion-dollar enterprise. In the United States alone, for example, it is estimated that more than two million deer are harvested annually by licensed hunters.
   Aside from pelts and meat, special parts of some mammals regularly have been sought for their special attributes. Rhinoceros horn is used for concocting potions in eastern Asia; ivory from elephants and walruses is highly prized; and ambergris, a substance regurgitated by sperm whales, was once widely used as a base for perfumes.

REFERENCES

https://www.bing.com/search?q=www.thoughtco.com%2Fthe-main-mammal-characteristic&form=IPRV10#

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=068540741cc7846eJmltdHM9MTY4NjcwMDgwMCZpZ3VpZD0wNDI1NmQ3ZC1hYzNhLTY1ZmItMWI4Yy03ZTRkYWRhNzY0ZjgmaW5zaWQ9NTAwMw&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=04256d7d-ac3a-65fb-1b8c-7e4dada764f8&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9rMTIubGlicmV0ZXh0cy5vcmcvQm9va3NoZWx2ZXMvU2NpZW5jZV9hbmRfVGVjaG5vbG9neS9MaWZlX1NjaWVuY2VfZm9yX01pZGRsZV9TY2hvb2xfKENLLTEyKS8xMCUzQV9WZXJ0ZWJyYXRlcy8xMC4yMyUzQV9JbXBvcnRhbmNlX29mX01hbW1hbHM&ntb=1

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=a875e919c81f564aJmltdHM9MTY4NjcwMDgwMCZpZ3VpZD0wNDI1NmQ3ZC1hYzNhLTY1ZmItMWI4Yy03ZTRkYWRhNzY0ZjgmaW5zaWQ9NTAwMw&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=04256d7d-ac3a-65fb-1b8c-7e4dada764f8&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnJpdGFubmljYS5jb20vYW5pbWFsL21hbW1hbC9JbXBvcnRhbmNlLXRvLWh1bWFucw&ntb=1

Pigs breastfeeding — Digital Vision / Getty Images

   All mammals have hair growing from some parts of their bodies during at least some stage of their life cycle. Mammalian hair can take on several different forms, including thick fur, long whiskers, defensive quills, and even horns. Hair serves a variety of functions: insulation against the cold, protection for delicate skin, camouflage against predators (as in zebras and giraffes), and sensory feedback (as with the sensitive whiskers the everyday house cat). Generally speaking, the presence of hair goes hand-in-hand with a warm-blooded metabolism. What about mammals that don't have any visible body hair, such as whales? Many species, including whales and dolphins, have sparse amounts of hair during the earliest stages of their development, while others retain wispy patches of hair on their chins or upper lips.

2. Mammary Glands
By Duke.of.arcH - www.flickr.com/photos/dukeofarch/ Getty Images
   Unlike other vertebrates, mammals nurse their young with milk produced by mammary glands, which are modified and enlarged sweat glands consisting of ducts and glandular tissues that secrete milk through nipples. This milk provides young with much-needed proteins, sugars, fats, vitamins, and salts. Not all mammals have nipples, however. Monotremes such as the platypus, which diverged from other mammals early in evolutionary history, secrete milk through ducts located in their abdomens.

   3. Warm-Blooded Metabolisms
Anup Shah / Getty Images

   Mammals aren't the only vertebrates to have endothermic(warm-blooded) metabolisms. It's a trait that's shared by modern birds and their ancestors, the theropod (meat-eating) dinosaurs of the Mesozoic era, however, one can argue that mammals have made better use of their endothermic physiologies than any other vertebrate order. It's the reason cheetahs can run so fast, goats can climb the sides of mountains, and humans can write books. As a rule, cold-blooded animals like reptiles have much more sluggish metabolisms since they must rely on external weather conditions to maintain their internal body temperatures. (Most cold-blooded species can barely write poetry, although some of them are allegedly lawyers.)

4. Three Bones in the Middle Ear
   Dorling Kindersley / Getty Images

   The three inner ear bones, the incus, the malleus, and the stapes—commonly referred to as the hammer, the anvil and the stirrup—are unique to mammals. These tiny bones transmit sound vibrations from the tympanic membrane (a.k.a. the eardrum) to the inner ear and transform the vibrations into neural impulses that are then processed by the brain. Interestingly, the malleus and incus of modern mammals evolved from the lower jawbone of the immediate predecessors of mammals, the "mammal-like reptiles" of the Paleozoic Era known as therapsids.

IMPORTANCE OF MAMMALS IN ECOSYSTEM
   Mammals have important roles in the food webs of practically every ecosystem. Mammals are important members of food chains and food webs, as grazers and predators. Mammals can feed at various levels of food chains, as herbivores, insectivores, carnivores and omnivores.
   Mammals also interact with other species in many symbiotic relationships. For example, bats have established mutually beneficial relationships with plants. Nectar-feeding bats receive a tasty treat from each flower, and, in return, they pollinate the flowers. That means they transfer pollen from one flower to another, allowing the plant to reproduce. Non-flying mammalian pollinators include marsupials, primates, and rodents. In most cases, these animals visit flowers to eat their nectar, and end up with pollen stuck to their bodies. When the animal visits another flower to eat the nectar, the pollen is transferred to that flower.

CULTURAL IMPORTANCE
  Mammals have also played a significant role in different cultures’ folklore and religion. For example, the grace and power of the cougar have been admired in the cultures of the native peoples of the Americas. The Inca city of Cuzco is designed in the shape of a cougar, and the thunder god of the Inca, Viracocha, has been associated with the animal. In North America, mythological descriptions of the cougar have appeared in the stories of several American Indian tribes.
   Important mammals include Dolly the sheep, Lassie the dog, and flipper the dolphin. Dolly was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic (body) cell, using the process of nuclear transfer. Lassie was a collie dog who appeared in seven full length feature films in the 1940s and 1950s, starting with *Lassie Come Home* in 1943. Additional Lassie movies were made as recently as 2005. Between 1954 and 1973, the *Lassie* television series aired, with plenty of additional productions as recently as 2007. Flipper was a bottle nose dolphin that starred in a television series between 1964 and 1967. The most famous mammal may be *King Kong,* the giant gorilla that terrorized New York City in 1933 in the movie of the same name.

IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS

   Wild mammals are a major source of food in some parts of the world, and many different kinds, from fruit bats and armadillos to whales, are captured and eaten by various cultural groups. In addition, hunting, primarily for sport, of various rodents, lagomorphs, carnivores, and ungulates is a multibillion-dollar enterprise. In the United States alone, for example, it is estimated that more than two million deer are harvested annually by licensed hunters.
   Aside from pelts and meat, special parts of some mammals regularly have been sought for their special attributes. Rhinoceros horn is used for concocting potions in eastern Asia; ivory from elephants and walruses is highly prized; and ambergris, a substance regurgitated by sperm whales, was once widely used as a base for perfumes.

REFERENCES

https://www.bing.com/search?q=www.thoughtco.com%2Fthe-main-mammal-characteristic&form=IPRV10#

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=068540741cc7846eJmltdHM9MTY4NjcwMDgwMCZpZ3VpZD0wNDI1NmQ3ZC1hYzNhLTY1ZmItMWI4Yy03ZTRkYWRhNzY0ZjgmaW5zaWQ9NTAwMw&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=04256d7d-ac3a-65fb-1b8c-7e4dada764f8&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9rMTIubGlicmV0ZXh0cy5vcmcvQm9va3NoZWx2ZXMvU2NpZW5jZV9hbmRfVGVjaG5vbG9neS9MaWZlX1NjaWVuY2VfZm9yX01pZGRsZV9TY2hvb2xfKENLLTEyKS8xMCUzQV9WZXJ0ZWJyYXRlcy8xMC4yMyUzQV9JbXBvcnRhbmNlX29mX01hbW1hbHM&ntb=1

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=a875e919c81f564aJmltdHM9MTY4NjcwMDgwMCZpZ3VpZD0wNDI1NmQ3ZC1hYzNhLTY1ZmItMWI4Yy03ZTRkYWRhNzY0ZjgmaW5zaWQ9NTAwMw&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=04256d7d-ac3a-65fb-1b8c-7e4dada764f8&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnJpdGFubmljYS5jb20vYW5pbWFsL21hbW1hbC9JbXBvcnRhbmNlLXRvLWh1bWFucw&ntb=1

Different Types of Animals

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Warm-blooded Entities

1. Hair and Fur

2. Mammary Glands

4. Three Bones in the Middle Ear

CULTURAL IMPORTANCE

Warm-blooded Entities

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