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How are animals different from mammals

It would seem that the question is not at all complicated, and we all went through this topic at the beginning of studying biology in our school years. However, most adults cannot immediately answer this question. In this article, we will take a closer look at both types and compare them so that after reading you will never be able to confuse how animals differ from mammals!

What do we know about animals?

First, let's try to define each of these concepts, and then draw a parallel. So, animals are a classically allocated share of living organisms, part of the biological kingdom. All, without exception, animals are studied by zoologists, divided into categories, types and subtypes. They are eukaryotes, which means that they have nuclei in their cells. They can actively move, are divided into wild and domestic, and much more.

Modern classifications of the animal world

Modern zoologists put forward many theories on the classification and typification of animals. The most famous of them are divided into:

  • Types.
  • Classes.
  • Detachments.
  • Families.
  • Childbirth.
  • Kinds.

Unfortunately, in this article we will not comprehensively cover this topic. After all, our goal is to find out what is the difference between animals and mammals, and not delve into zoology. To understand the topic, we need to consider in detail only the classes of animals, which just include mammals. That is, looking ahead, it becomes clear what is the main difference between these two concepts.

The difference between animals and mammals is that the second concept is narrower and is included in the first. But let's understand everything in order for a complete understanding.

The classes of animals include only eight links. This is:

  1. Crustaceans.
  2. Arachnids.
  3. Insects.
  4. Birds.
  5. Reptiles.
  6. Amphibians.
  7. Fish.

What are mammals

So we got to the second definition, what are mammals?

As we have already found out, mammals are a separate class of animals. All, without exception, mammals are vertebrates. Their main distinguishing feature (as you can already guess from the name) is that they feed their cubs with milk. As you might guess, not all animals can do this (for example, fish or insects, everyone knows, do not do this). Moreover, they are all quadrupedal. Knowing these basics, it is not difficult to learn to distinguish mammals from other animals.

But as for external data, mammals are a very diverse class. Representatives of the mammal class are moles, hedgehogs, squirrels, beavers, mice, wolves, foxes, bears, seals, walruses, whales, dolphins, giraffes, elephants and all domestic animals (goats, cows). They are also divided into subclasses. Their features are hairline, skin glands, constant body temperature, warm-bloodedness, live birth, looking after offspring, and complexity of behavior. In general, they are all easily distinguished from the rest of the fauna.

Summing up

Now that we have thoroughly familiarized ourselves with each of the presented terms and learned (or rather remembered) about each of them, it's time to answer the basic questions of this article. What is the difference between animals and mammals?

  1. As it turned out, mammals are those who feed their young with milk. Other animals don't. If suddenly you ever forget about it, the name of this class will always tell you. In order to feed the cub, female mammals have mammary glands.
  2. They are viviparous - that is, before birth, the fetus develops inside the female (many animals, for example, lay eggs), this is another difference from other animals.
  3. Some individuals can fly. These are, for example, bats or bat dogs (it happens!). While other animals, with the exception of the class of birds, crawl or swim.
  4. They take care of their offspring (unlike many other representatives of the animal world). Cubs after birth for a long time, and sometimes all their lives, are with their flocks. They are taught to hunt, get food, and even play with them.
  5. They are all quadrupeds (unlike reptiles, fish, birds and other animals).

Here are the main differences inherent in the class of mammals. In this article, we answered the question of how animals differ from mammals, singled them out as a separate class and gave the basic concepts on the topic. Now you can easily distinguish a mammal from another animal or explain to a child what is their difference.