The animal group called Mammals includes the heaviest, tallest and fastest animals on land- the elephant, the giraffe and the cheetah. Mice, whales, rhinoceroses, bats and humans are also mammals. They all have a unique type of jawbone point. The jawbone joint helps us to identify the fossilized bones of prehistoric mammals that lived on Earth millions of years ago. Compared to other vertebrates, mammals have highly developed nervous systems and sensory organs and have intelligence and resourcefulness that few other animals can match.

Mammals are also members of the group known as vertebrates because they all have vertebrae (backbones).

Today there are about 4,000 kinds of mammals, including carnivores(flesh eaters) such as tigers; herbivores (plant eaters) such as rabbits; and omnivores (flesh and plant eaters) such as bears.

Cattle, sheep, goats and most other farm animals are mammals and many pets are mammals too, including cats, dogs and guinea pigs. Mammals live nearly everwhere. They are found on land, in the sea and in the sky, from the coolest Arctic to the most searing heat of the desert.

Mammal milk : Mammals are the only creatures that feed their young ones with milk. When the female is about to give birth, she starts to produce milk in mammary glands on the chest or abdomen.When the young are born, they suck the milk from mother's teats.

Mother's milk is an ideal food for the young - warm and nourishing, and full of special substances which protect the young from disease. As the babies grow larger and stronger, they take less milk and begin to eat solid foods. This process is called weaning.

Body temperature : Mammals and birds are called warm blooded animals because they can maintain a high body temperature even in the cold conditions. Mammals do, however, need plenty of food to provide energy for warmth. The heat to warm a mammal is produced by chemical reactions in the body, particularly in the muscles.

Hair and Fur : All mammals are covered in hair or fur. Fur or hairs protects the mammal's skin from injury and the Sun's rays. It also keeps the heat in and moisture out. The colours and patterns of the fur provide camouflage.

Water dwelling mammals such as beavers have special oily, waterproof fur. The rhinoceros's horn are also made from strong hairs tightly packed together. Some mammals, such as armadillos and pangolins, have reptile like scales instead of fur.

The short beaked spiny ant eater lays a single egg in a temporary pouch on its abdomen. The young ant eater hatches then suck milk from mammary glands on its mother's abdomen.

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