Download This Sample
This sample is exclusively for KidsKonnect members!
To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup for free (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download!
Sign Me Up
Table of Contents
Mammals are a group of vertebrates and warm-blooded animals. They are characterized under the class of Mammalia, which means the presence of mammary glands, which in females, is the ability to produce milk for feeding their young.
See the fact file below for more information on Mammals, or you can download our 33-page Mammals worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
CHARACTERISTICS
- The word “mamma” comes from the Latin word ‘breast’ which signifies one of their unique characteristics, meaning they nourish their young by producing milk.
- Mammals have single-boned lower jaws. Their lower jawbone consists of a single piece hinged directly onto their skull. They also have three bones in the middle ear, commonly known as the hammer, stirrup, and anvil.
- All mammals have hair growing on their body. Yet, mammals like whales and elephants do not have visible hair, except in their fetal stage. This hair disappears as they become older.
- Mammals, especially terrestrial species, utilize every movement possible, such as digging, swinging, climbing, jumping, and sprinting. While others have the ability to swim, shuffle, and dive in the water, and a few of them can even fly.
- Another characteristic of mammals is their warm-blooded metabolism which they use better than other vertebrate animals to help maintain their body temperature, regardless of the environment.
- Mammals have muscular diaphragms situated in the middle of thoracic and abdominal cavities. They can utilize their oxygen and breathe more steadily than other vertebrates.
- Mammals have four-chambered hearts, which are more efficient than reptiles and amphibians. These ensure that only oxygen-rich blood is sent to their mammalian tissues, enabling periods of continuous exercise with fewer breaks.
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
Mammals have 3 sub-classes or types and 29 orders. Also, there are a total of 4,000-5,500 mammal species currently identified.
Common Name | Mammals |
Scientific Name | Mammalia |
Kingdom | Animalia |
Sub- Kingdom | Bilateria |
Phylum | Chordata |
Class | Mammalia |
Sub- Class | Prototheria |
Sub- Class | Prototheria |
Sub- Class | Eutheria |
TYPES OF MAMMALS
- Monotremes, or egg-laying mammals, lay eggs instead of giving birth to live infants. They are comparable to other mammals in different ways as they have hair or fur, have ears with three bones in the middle, and are warm-blooded.
- Monotremes are the most primitive of all mammals. They have features resembling both reptiles and birds, such as hatching and having cloaca or a single opening for reproductive, urinary, and digestive tracts.
- There are five monotreme species. These include the platypus and four types of echidnas, such as the Western long-beaked, Sir David’s long-Beaked, Eastern long-beaked, and Short-beaked echidnas.
- Another type of mammal is the Marsupial or the pouched mammal. The young of a marsupial is called a joey.
- Marsupial mammals have short gestation that causes the young to be born in an underdeveloped stage.
- After birth, joeys encase themselves in the mother’s unique pouch to access her milk, and to further develop. Examples of marsupials are red kangaroos, wombats, koalas, wallabies, and Tasmanian devils.
- Placental mammals are under an infraclass identified as Placentalia. Its young receive food via the placenta, are born alive, and soon suckle on their mother.
- All mammals—aside from marsupials and monotremes—are Placental mammals. This category includes blue whales, vampire bats, tigers, and most particularly, humans.
EVOLUTION
- Mammals descended from synapsid amniotes, which means vertebrate animals that go through fetal or embryonic development.
- Synapsids (amniotes with a single temporal hole on either side of the skull or also called mammalian-like reptiles) and Pelycosaurs (a group of primitive synapsids) exhibited some characteristics of mammals about 275 million years ago.
- In the past, there were 17 different orders of mammals based on similarities in structure and function, and it took around 150 million years for monotremes to emerge. They laid eggs and had cloaca-like current monotremes.
- Around 130 million years ago, marsupials began to evolve. They consumed worms and insects and were relatively small.
- About 110 million years ago, placental mammals first appeared. They climbed trees and were also small, like marsupials. Mammalian embryos grew to dominate the land. Except for Australia, most marsupials and monotremes are extinct.
REPRODUCTION
- The reproduction of mammals involves sexual and internal fertilization. Once fully developed, males are capable of producing viable sperm that can fertilize the egg (oocyte), which is released by fully developed females through a process known as ovulation.
- Except in monotremes, almost all mammals are viviparous, which means the young are formed inside the body or in an embryo and then receive nutrition directly from the mother through the placenta. Additionally, a mother provides extended care to the young after birth.
- Many mammals only live together during the mating season. However, there are some who form permanent pairs.
DIET
- Mammals have different species. Some groups are carnivores or meat eaters, such as lions, tigers, bears, whales, etc.
- There are also herbivores or plant eater animals like cows, sheep, rabbits, and squirrels.
- Another type of eater is the omnivore or those who eat plants and meat. These are species that live in the wild, like opossums, raccoons, foxes, etc.
DIVERSITY
- The most adaptive animals on the earth are mammals. They have spread all over the world and live in different habitats, including forests, oceans, grasslands, deserts, savannas, and the Arctic.
- Mammalian groups that migrated to South America before the continents split diverged from relatives that stayed in North America.
- Australia offers a comparable example of mammal early isolation and adaptive radiation specifically for monotremes and marsupials.
SENSES
- More than half of all mammals are nocturnal. The primary senses of mammals are their olfactory smell, hearing, and sight. Most of the brains in the mammalian group are dominated by their olfactory centers.
BEHAVIOR
- The social behavior of mammals comprises specific social systems that depend on their orders. However, some live alone, like tigers, polar bears, and jaguars.
- A time of training is made feasible by the young mammal’s reliance on its mother for nutrition. Through such training, knowledge and behavior can be passed down through non-genetic means.
- Different types of mammal social groups have evolved depending on food availability, terrain, and predators. Moreover, some mammals are territorial, meaning they will fight to maintain their territory. They mark their territories with either their secretions or urine. However, some mammals are more social, which are herbivores like zebras and deer.
IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS
- Since the beginning of human evolution, humans have depended on domesticated and wild mammals for food and clothing. Mammals become a source of protein for the increasing number of humans up to this day.
- Some animals under the mammalian class are used for heavy work such as pulling wagons and carrying goods and also as a means of transportation. They are used to symbolize things such as mythology and arts.
- Selected mammals, such as dogs, are trained to help humans in their conditions. They can be capable of detecting seizures, and assisting in therapies like speech and occupational therapy, and physical rehabilitation.
- Mammals such as mice, rabbits, and hamsters are used as test subjects. They are exploited in order to experiment and study different human diseases, drugs or medications, and cosmetics.
LIFE CYCLE
- There are different life cycles in several types of mammals, like humans. They start from babies to toddlers, teenagers, and adults. Mammals’ life cycles can be identical; the only distinction is the duration of each stage.
- The first stage of the life cycle of mammals is called the Embryo Stage, which is the process of fertilization to implantation. This is followed by the Baby Stage, when the young become dependent on the mother, especially for milk after birth. The third is the Young Stage, where the young become independent. Lastly, the Independent Stage is the mammal’s adulting. This is also the phase when they can mate and conceive babies.
THREATS
- According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species of Survival Commission, one in every four mammals faces a high risk of extinction in the near future because of overconsumption and the increase in human population growth.
- Terrestrial species are primarily threatened by habitat loss or alteration. They are occasionally at risk from commercial, illegal, or unrestricted hunting.
- Another big threat for most mammals is hunting, especially to those large ones. They are hunted for their meat and other body parts such as skins, trunks, fur, horns, and antlers to be used as clothes, bags, and for other accessories.
- In addition, the habitats of animals, mainly terrestrial species, are threatened by land fragmentation of habitat alteration, deforestation, and overexploitation.
- As for marine mammals, most threats come from human activities, such as ship strikes, habitat damage, poaching, harassment, and unintentional catching in fishing gear.
Mammals Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Mammals across 33 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Mammals, which are a group of vertebrates and warm-blooded animals.
Complete List of Included Worksheets
Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.
- Mammals Facts
- Is it a Mammal?
- Special Class
- Food Maze
- Mammal Sphere
- Infinity Wheel
- What’s Next?
- Find My Home
- Read and Tell
- Value of Mammals
- What can I do?
Link/cite this page
If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.
Link will appear as Mammals Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 18, 2022
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.