mammal

Everyday

1. A mammal is an animal that has hair or fur, breathes air and feeds its babies with milk. tree →
2. Most mammals give birth to live babies instead of laying eggs. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on animal classification, mammals are warm-blooded vertebrates (animals with backbones): dogs, cats, cows, mice, whales, dolphins, bats and humans. Whales and dolphins live in water but are mammals; bats fly but are mammals. A few mammals, the platypus and echidna of Australia, lay eggs. Phrases: sea mammal, marine mammal, the largest mammal.

Examples

• Dogs, horses and people are all mammals. tree →
• A whale is a mammal, not a fish. tree →
• Mammals feed their babies with milk. tree →
• The blue whale is the largest mammal ever. tree →
• Bats are the only mammals that can fly. tree →
• The platypus is a mammal that lays eggs. tree →
• Mammals have hair or fur. tree →
• A kangaroo is a mammal that carries its baby in a pouch. tree →

Note

Countable: a mammal, mammals. Spell with double m: mammal. Traps: whales, dolphins and seals are mammals, not fish; bats are mammals, not birds; penguins are birds, not mammals.