Part 1: Mammals - The Warm and Fluffy Icing on the Cake
Tyger, Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
-The Tyger, by William Blake
Finally, we are on the last leg of our tour of the Kingdoms of Creation (who’s up for some ice cream when we’re done?). Our final group to visit is the mammals. Have you been waiting with bated breath for some cute, cuddly fluffiness? Well, look no further because every mammal has hair or fur, making them extra warm and soft. They can also help keep you warm (if you happen to be lost in a blizzard or whatever) since they are warm-blooded.
Mammals are found all over the world, from the tiniest bumblebee bat (only about as big as your thumb) to the enormous blue whale (ok, so these guys aren’t particularly fluffy, but they do have some hairs). They can be found in the ocean (hello dolphins, whales, and manatees) and the air (we’re looking at you, bats), but most of them are land-dwelling creatures like your average deer, dog, dormouse, or donkey (but not dugong – those live in the water). Many domesticated animals are mammals, such as cows and horses, as well as many of our favorite pets, like sugar gliders and hedgehogs. (You don’t have sugar gliders or hedgehogs? Only a dog and cat? Weird.)
Nearly all mammal babies are born living from their mothers instead of hatching from eggs like birds or reptiles. When they are born, most mammals are relatively well developed, such as horses that can walk within minutes and puppies that are covered with fur. Even though they might look like miniature versions of their parents, they are not really ready to venture out on their own just yet. They stay with their mother (and sometimes also their father) for a time to feed on the milk that the mother makes and to learn from their parents what it takes to be a successful adult.
Some awesome (but kinda weird) Australian animals break this mammal mold. The Land Down Under is the home to all the world’s monotremes and nearly all the marsupials. Monotremes, like the duck billed platypus, do in fact hatch from eggs. After they hatch, the puggles (is there possibly a cuter name for a baby animal?) will still stay with their mother for a time to fee on her milk just like other mammals. Marsupials do not hatch from eggs, but they are born extremely small (only about the size of a jellybean) and completely hairless. They live in their mother’s pouch for a time to nurse on her milk until they are big enough to venture into the wide world.
