What makes a mammal a mammal?

Answer 1

Female mammals have mammary glands that produce milk to feed their young. This trait is exclusive to mammals.

Answer 2

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in females for the nourishment of young, from mammary glands present on most species and specialized skin glands in monotremes that seep or ooze milk. There is also presence of hair or fur, specialized teeth, three small bones within the ear, the presence of a neocortex region in the brain, endothermic or "warm-blooded" bodies, and, in most cases, the existence of a placenta in the ontogeny. The brain regulates endothermic and circulatory systems, including a four-chambered heart. Mammals encompass approximately 5,800 species (including humans), distributed in about 1,200 genera, 152 families and up to forty-six orders, though this varies with the classification scheme.

Answer 3

Its just a definition, like what makes a planet a planet. A mammal meets certain criteria by definition. Some of the requirements are: warm blooded, air breathing, gives birth to live offspring as opposed to eggs... There's more but that's all I remember off the top of my head.

Answer 4

Specialized Teeth, limbs, hair, internal reproduction.

Teeth- Canines, molars, premolars, and incisors. All mammals have different tooth 'layouts' for different diets. Horse have large incisors and molars for sniping and chewing, wolves have large canines and incisors for tearing.

Limbs- Mammals have speicalized limbs to live in different environments. Humans-long legs, med arm. Bats-wings for flight.

Hair/Outter covering-
Mammals use their hair or outter layers to keep in heat, protection, and waterproofing.

Internal Reproduction-
Mammals have gestation periods (time between the zygote forms, until birth) They form in the uterus and are in a sac called a placenta. Not all mammals have 'full internal reproduction. Monotremes (platypus') are the only mammals to lay eggs. And marsupials have iternal and external reproduction. They have a gestation period inside the mother, and they birth them, and put the fetus in a pouch(no scientific name) and carry them for another gestation period.

Other stuff-
Warm-blooded, vertabretes, 4-chambered heat, large brain,
Hope that helps.

Answer 5

A mammal is a warm blooded, live offspring bearing, air breathing animal.

Answer 6

Mammals have hair, are warm blooded, give birth to live young, and breast feed their young. That's where the name "mammal" comes from: Mammary is another name for breast.

p.s. even the whales are mammals!

Answer 7

off the top of my head

we are warm blooded and we don't lay eggs and give live birth (except for a few exceptions such as platypuses)

Answer 8

breathing air and having hair are the only prerequisites

Answer 9

Warm blood, hair, squirting babies out, mating in "our way" and thats about it.

Answer 10

did u really just ask that question?