Class Mammalia comprises warm-blooded vertebrates with characteristics such as hair or fur, mammary glands for feeding young, and three middle ear bones. Mammals include a wide range of species, from humans and whales to bats and rodents, inhabiting diverse environments worldwide.
General Characters:
1. Body covering: Body is covered by epidermal hair.
2. Mammary Gland: Mammary glands are present, supply milk for the nourishment of sucking young.
3. Glands: Sweat gland (Sudoriferous gland), scent gland (odoriferous) are present.
4. Pinna: External Pinna present in the ear.
5. Teeth: Teeth are heterodont, thecodont and diphyodont type.
6. Limbs: Two pairs of pentadactyle limb present.
7. Heart: Heart is four chambered.
8. Kidney: Kidney is metanephric type.
9. RBC: RBC are non-nucleated, biconcave in shape.
10. Urinary bladder. Single urinary bladder is present.
11. Cranial Nerves: 12 pairs of Cranial nerves present.
12. Skull: Skull has double occipital condyles i.e. dicondylic skull.
13. Cervical vertebrae: Except few mammals, posses seven cervical vertebrae in neck.
14. Cerebellum: Cerebellum is large, complex and solid.
15. Respiration : Respiration through lungs.
16. Excretion: Kidney is the major excretory organ. They excrete Ureotelic waste matters (Urea).
17. Fertilisation: Fertilisation is internal.
18. Viviparous: They are viviparous except monotremes.
19. Body temperature: They are homeothermic (Warm blooded animals).
20. Diaphragm: A muscular diaphragm present between the thoracic and abdominal cavities.
Example: Homo sapiens sapiens (Human); Panthera Leo (Lion); Elephas maximus ( Elephant); Canis familiaris (Dog); Axis axis (Deer) etc.
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