Mammals
Warm-blooded · milk for babies · hair or fur
Mammals are animals that usually have hair or fur, are warm-blooded, and feed their babies milk. Humans are mammals too!
What makes them this type?
- Warm-blooded (keep a steady body temperature)
- Babies drink milk from their mother
- Hair or fur (even whales have some hair)
- Lungs to breathe air
- Most give live birth (exceptions: platypus & echidna lay eggs)
Examples
Tiger Big cat of Asia Elephant Largest land animal Monkey Tree-climbing primate Dog & cat Common companion mammals Dolphin Ocean mammal — not a fish
Bat Only mammal that truly flies
Motion Notes (for Animation & Drawing)
- Walk, run, hop, climb, or swim depending on the species
- Four legs is common; apes use arms; dolphins use flippers and a tail
- Facial expressions and ear/tail movement show mood — useful for character animation
Learn More
Mammals live almost everywhere: jungles, deserts, oceans, and your neighborhood.
They have backbones (they are vertebrates). A mammal’s heart and lungs work hard to keep a warm body going.
When you animate a mammal, think about weight in the shoulders and hips, and how fur or skin folds on turns.
Fun Facts
- Blue whales are the largest animals that have ever lived — and they are mammals.
- A giraffe’s tongue can be dark purple and over a foot long.
- Bats use sound (echolocation) to “see” in the dark.