All about Mammals

What Is a Mammal?
Mammals are animals that have hair,
are warm-blooded, and nourish their
young with milk. Some modern-day mammals
include
people,apes, cats, bats, dogs, tigers, mice,
elephants, gorillas, sloths, pandas,
horses, whales, and dolphins.

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.

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.

Placental mammals: Placental

mammals are mammals whose young are born at
a relatively advanced stage. Before birth,
the young are nourished through the placenta
which delivers oxygen and nutrients to the
young. Most mammals are placental mammals,
like cats, dogs, horses, and people.

Diet
Mammals have to eat a lot to maintain
their high body temperature. Diets vary
from genus to genus. As with most animal
groups, there are more herbivores (plant-
eaters) than there are carnivores (meat-
eaters).

Types of Mammalian Diets

Herbivores (plant eaters) -
including beavers, cows, horses, pandas,
sloths, and others.
Carnivores (meat eaters) -
including whales and
dolphins, dogs, tigers, lions, and
others.
Omnivores (eat plants and meat) -
people, some bears, and others.
Insectivores (eat insects) -
anteaters, and others.

Venomous Mammals: Only a few mammals are

venomous, including the duckbilled platypus
(males only), several species of shrews, and
the Solenodon (a small insectivore).

Mammal Extremes
 Fastest mammal (also the fastest land
animal): the cheetah (97-110 kph).
Slowest mammal - the sloth (less than 2
kph).
Biggest mammal, biggest animal that ever
lived on Earth - the blue whale.
Biggest land mammal- the African
Elephant.
Tallest mammal - the giraffe.
Smallest mammals - the pygmy shrew
(weighing 1.2-2.7 gm) and the bumblebee
bat (weighing about 2 gm).
Loudest mammal - the Blue Whale.
Smallest newborns - marsupials (pouched
mammals, like the kangaroo).
Smelliest mammal - the striped skunk.

All about Fish

Fish are vertebrate animals that live
in the water, have streamlined,
muscular bodies, and are cold-blooded.
Most fish breathe using gills.
There are three classes of fish:

Jawless fish - these primitive fish

have no jaws, do not have paired
fins, and have a skeleton made of
cartilage (not bone). Examples:
hagfish, lampreys.

Cartilaginous fish - these fish have

a skeleton made of cartilage, paired
fins, and no swim bladder. Their
skin has tooth-like scales (called
denticles). Fertilization of eggs is
internal. Examples: sharks,
skates, rays.

Bony fish -these fish have a

skeleton made of bone and paired
fins. They also have teeth that are
fixed onto the upper jaw. They have
a swim bladder (an air filled sac
that helps them with buoyancy) that
opens into the gullet. Bony fish do
not have to swim to breathe. Most
fish are bony fish.
 Read the definitions, and then label the fish diagram below.

anal fin - the fin lateral line - a series

on the lower side of sensory pores (small
of the body near openings) that are
the tail located along the sides
of the fish - they sense
caudal fin - the vibrations in the water
tail fin
mouth - the part of the
dorsal fin - the body which the fish uses
fin on the upper to catch food - it is
side of the body located at the front of
the body
eye - sight organs
located on the pectoral fin - each of
head the paired fins on either
side of the body, near
gills - fleshy
the head
organs that are
used for breathing pelvic fin - each of the
- they are located paired fins on the lower
on the side of the side of the body, near
head the head
All about Amphibians
Amphibians are vertebrates that spend part
of their lives under water (breathing with
gills) and the remainder on land (breathing
with lungs). Amphibians are cold-blooded;
their body temperature depends on the
temperature of their environment. There are
three groups of living amphibians: newts and
salamanders; frogs and toads; and
caecilians.

Life Cycle Diagram

Tadpoles hatch from tiny eggs that are laid

in masses in the water. The gill-breathing
tadpole swims in the water. It eventually
sprouts legs and absorbs its tail, becoming
a froglet and then an adult. The adult
breathes air and has no tail. After mating,
the female lays eggs and the cycle begins
again.

Egg - Tiny frog eggs are laid in masses in

the water by a female frog. The eggs hatch
into tadpoles.
Tadpole - The tadpole spends its time
swimming in the water, eating and growing.
Tadpoles breathe using gills and have a
tail.
Tadpole with legs - The tadpole sprouts legs
(and then arms), has a longer body, and has
a more distinct head. It still breathes
using gills and has a tail.
Froglet - In this stage, the almost mature
frog breathes with lungs and still has some
of its tail.
Adult - The adult frog breathes with lungs
and has no tail (it has been absorbed by the
body).
 ALL ABOUT BIRDS

Birds are warm-blooded Ornithology is

vertebrate animals that have the study of
wings, feathers, a beak , birds. A
no teeth a skeleton in which scientist who
many bones are fused together studies birds
or are absent, and an is called an
extremely efficient one-way ornithologist.
breathing system. Flying
birds have strong, hollow bones and powerful
flight muscles.

Most birds can fly. Birds have a very

strong heart and an efficient way of
breathing - these are necessary for birds to
fly. Birds also use a lot of energy while
flying and need to eat a lot of food to
power their flight.

Not all flying animals are birds; and not

all birds can fly. The ability to fly has
developed independently many times
throughout the history of the Earth.

The fastest
running
bird is the
ostrich, but
it cannot fly.
The ostrich is
also the
fastest two-
legged runner
 of all the Bird locomotion is quite
animals on varied; most can fly, some
Earth. The can run very well, some swim,
ostrich is the and some do combinations of
largest bird. these. Some birds cannot
fly.

Most birds can fly. Flying birds' wings are

shaped to provide lift, allowing them to
fly. These light-weight animals have adapted
to their environment by flying, which makes
them efficient hunters, lets them escape
from hungry predators (like cats), and takes
them away from harsh weather.

There are different types of feathers

that have different uses.

Feathers are used for:

Flying - flight feathers, grow in the
wings and the tail.
Thermal insulation - soft down feathers
that grow close to the skin and prevent
birds from getting too cold or too hot
Courtship and mating displays - these
vary tremendously from species to
species.

Diet
Modern-day birds do not have any teeth
(ancient birds did have teeth). Birds have a
tongue, but unlike our tongue, a bird's
tongue has a bone in it.
Birds spend most of their time looking for
food. Most birds are insectivores (they eat
insects). Some birds, like owls and eagles,
are carnivores (meat-eaters). Some birds,
like the hummingbird, and Canada goose, are
mostly herbivores (plant-eaters). Some birds
(like the toucan) are fructivore (fruit-
eaters).

Birds mostly use their keen eyesight to find

food. They use their beak and their claws to

get bugs , worms , small mammals

, fish , fruit , grain, or

nectar .

Birds play a very important part in the

natural control of insects and in the
dispersal of seeds. Some birds, like the
tiny, nectar-eating hummingbird are
important pollinators of some flowering
plants .

Nests and Eggs

Birds bear their young in hard-shelled
eggs which hatch after some time. Some
birds, like chickens, lay eggs each day,
others may go for years between laying eggs.

Birds build nests for breeding in trees, on

cliffs, or on the ground. Most birds are
taken care of by at least one parent until
they are able to fly and get their own
food.

Migration
Many bird species migrate to a
cooler climate for reproducing and summer
feeding, and then return to a warmer climate
for the winter. It is unknown exactly how
birds are able to navigate accurately, but
many people are studying this mystery of how
birds know where to fly.

The Evolution of Birds

Birds probably evolved from meat-
eating dinosaurs during the Mesozoic
Era, roughly 150 million years ago.
Early birds, like Archaeopteryx, had teeth
in their mouth and claws on their wings.

Why Can Birds Perch on Power Lines?

Birds can often safely perch on a power line

without being electrocuted. For the bird (or
other animal) to be electrocuted, a
potential difference must exist across two
points of the bird's body (its feet in the
case of a bird on a power line). When
perching on a single power line, there is no
potential difference between the bird's
feet, so it is safe. If the bird (or other
animal) touches two power lines at a time,
or one power line and a ground (like a
ground wire or the earth itself), the animal
would be electrocuted and die. Many large
birds (like eagles and vultures) are
electrocuted when their wide wings touch a
power line and a ground wire at the same
time (often while flying in to land on a
power line).

This is why it is VERY unsafe to fly a kite

near power lines. If the kite gets tangles
in the power lines, the kite string acts as
a ground, and you can be electrocuted.