Mammal
class of tetrapods / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mammals are animals which form the class Mammalia (from Latin mamma, 'breast'). They are a group of vertebrate animals.[3] They have fur or hair and a very precise kind of temperature regulation.
Quick Facts Mammalia Temporal range: 225–0 mya (Kemp) or 167–0 mya (Rowe), Scientific classification ...
Mammalia | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Amniota |
Clade: | Synapsida |
Clade: | Mammaliaformes |
Class: | Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 |
Living subgroups | |
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With the exception of the monotremes, all mammals bear live young. Unlike other vertebrates, they are the only animals that produce milk for their young through their mammary glands. Parental care of the young is universal among mammals, sometimes for extended periods.
Mammals became the dominant land animals after non-bird dinosaurs were eliminated. Recent work helped to explain their success: epigenetics seems to have started in early mammals.[4]