Definitions for mammals
mam·mals

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. mammals

   A mammal (from Latin mamma 'breast') is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterized by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones. These characteristics distinguish them from reptiles and birds, which they diverged from in the Carboniferous Period over 300 million years ago. Around 6,400 extant species of mammals have been described and divided into 29 orders. The largest orders of mammals, by number of species, are the rodents, bats, and Eulipotyphla (including hedgehogs, moles and shrews). The next three are the Primates (including humans, monkeys and lemurs), the even-toed ungulates (including pigs, camels and whales), and the Carnivora (including cats, dogs and seals). Mammals are the only living members of Synapsida; this clade, together with Sauropsida (reptiles and birds), constitutes the larger Amniota clade. The early synapsids were sphenacodonts, a group that included the famous Dimetrodon. The synapsids split into several diverse groups of non-mammalian synapsids—traditionally and incorrectly referred to as mammal-like reptiles or by the term pelycosaurs, and now known as stem mammals or protomammals—before giving rise to therapsids during the beginning of the Middle Permian period. Mammals originated from cynodonts, an advanced group of therapsids, during the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic. The modern mammalian orders arose in the Paleogene and Neogene periods of the Cenozoic era, after the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs, and have been the dominant terrestrial animal group from 66 million years ago to the present. The basic mammalian body type is quadruped, and most mammals use their four extremities for terrestrial locomotion; but in some, the extremities are adapted for life at sea, in the air, in trees, underground, or on two legs. Mammals range in size from the 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in) bumblebee bat to the 30 m (98 ft) blue whale—possibly the largest animal to have ever lived. Maximum lifespan varies from two years for the shrew to 211 years for the bowhead whale. All modern mammals give birth to live young, except the five species of monotremes, which are egg-laying mammals. The most species-rich group of mammals, the cohort called placentals, have a placenta, which enables the feeding of the fetus during gestation. Most mammals are intelligent, with some possessing large brains, self-awareness, and tool use. Mammals can communicate and vocalize in several ways, including the production of ultrasound, scent-marking, alarm signals, singing, and echolocation. Mammals can organize themselves into fission-fusion societies, harems, and hierarchies—but can also be solitary and territorial. Most mammals are polygynous, but some can be monogamous or polyandrous. Domestication of many types of mammals by humans played a major role in the Neolithic Revolution, and resulted in farming replacing hunting and gathering as the primary source of food for humans. This led to a major restructuring of human societies from nomadic to sedentary, with more co-operation among larger and larger groups, and ultimately the development of the first civilizations. Domesticated mammals provided, and continue to provide, power for transport and agriculture, as well as food (meat and dairy products), fur, and leather. Mammals are also hunted and raced for sport, and are used as model organisms in science. Mammals have been depicted in art since Paleolithic times, and appear in literature, film, mythology, and religion. Decline in numbers and extinction of many mammals is primarily driven by human poaching and habitat destruction, primarily deforestation.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 2 votes

1. Mammals

   of Mammal

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Mammals

   Mammals is a play by Amelia Bullmore. It was first staged at the Bush Theatre, Shepherd's Bush, London, from 6 April to 7 May 2005. This production then toured the UK in Spring 2006. With a cast of six, including Niamh Cusack, Mark Bonnar and Nancy Carroll. The playwright was awarded the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for the work. The play depicts a marriage in crisis following husband Kev's revelation to his wife Jane that he is in love with someone else. The arrival of Kev's best friend Phil with his whirlwind of a girlfriend triggers a series of confessions which threatens to upturn all of their lives. Kev and Jane's increasingly desperate attempts to discuss their problems whilst hiding them from their two daughters makes for an insightful and often painfully amusing drama.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. Mammals

   Warm-blooded vertebrate animals belonging to the class Mammalia, including all that possess hair and suckle their young.

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. mammalsnoun

   Plural noun of mammal.

   Dolphins and whales are a species of marine mammals.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on February 6, 2016  

How to pronounce mammals?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say mammals in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of mammals in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of mammals in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of mammals in a Sentence

1. Joey Zwillinger:

   It turns out that when man first settled in New Zealand in about 1200 -- these are the Maoris that first came to New Zealand -- there was all birds, no mammals, we thought it was just this really cool hearkening back to New Zealand before man had come. So' Allbirds.'.

2. Michael Berenbrink:

   This is a fantastic piece of work, this type of metabolism is really unheard of among mammals.

3. Professor Auke Ijspeert:

   By decoding this primitive animal what we hope is to also contribute to the understanding of how mammals, including humans, walk. And therefore understanding input and output relationships of the spinal cord.

4. Kjersti Aagaard:

   Humans, like all placental mammals, run the risk of bleeding to death after that placenta separates off the wall of the uterus, so 4.5 million years of evolution is at our backs, helping us clot a little bit more effectively when we're pregnant.

5. Adam Huttenlocker:

   For a long time, we thought early mammals from the Cretaceous (145 to 66 million years ago) were anatomically similar and not ecologically diverse, this finding by our team and others reinforce that, even before the rise of modern mammals, ancient relatives of mammals were exploring specialty niches: insectivores, herbivores, carnivores, swimmers, gliders.

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References

1. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammals
2. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mammals
3. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=mammals