1. Mammals
5th Grade

2. About 4,000 different species. What is a mammal
*About 4,000 different species. What is a mammal? What characteristics do mammals share?

3. Characteristics of Mammals
Endothermic vertebrates
Skin covered with fur or hair
Most mammals are born alive
All mammals breathe with lungs
Every young mammal is fed with milk produced by organs in its mothers body

4. Characteristics of Mammals
Most mammals have teeth
Their teeth are adapted to chew their food, breaking it into small pieces that make digestion easier.
Most mammals have teeth with 4 different shapes

5. Mammal teeth Teeth with 4 different shapes:
Incisors –to bite off and cut food
Canines– pointed teeth that stab food and tear into it
Pre-molars & molars have broad, flat upper surfaces for grinding and shredding food

6. The size, shape, and hardness of a mammal’s teeth reflect its diet
Ex. carnivores have large and sharp canines
Ex. herbivores have molars for grinding and mashing plants

7. Mammal teeth reflect diet
Lions = carnivores – large canines
Springbok = herbivores -molars

8. Lion teeth: large canines used to hold prey while they kill it

9. Herbivore teeth: rely on pre-molars and molars for grinding and mashing

10. *Mammals breathe using lungs
Mammals breathe in and out using a large muscle called the diaphragm
The diaphragm is located at the bottom of the ribs
Rib muscles and the diaphragm work together to help a mammal breathe in and out

11. Diaphragm

12. Diaphragm

13. Why do mammals have fur or hair to cover their skin?
They are endotherms, so they need to keep their internal temperature steady!
All mammals have fur or hair to help them keep their internal temperatures stable
Animals that live in cold regions will have more fur than animals from warmer temperatures

14. What else helps mammals keep conditions stable?
FAT!
Mammals have a layer of fat beneath their skin
Like fur and feathers, FAT is an insulator

15. Differences in amount of fur/hair often depends on the climate in which an animal lives.

16. Mammals have a variety of adaptations to allow them to move in more ways than members of any other group of vertebrates

17. A mammal’s nervous system coordinates its movements.
Receives information about the environment
Brains of mammals help them learn, remember, and behave in complex ways
The senses of mammals are highly developed and adapted for the ways a species lives

18. Examples: Tarsiers have HUGE eyes to allow them to see in the dark

19. Squirrels learn to use different methods to crack different kinds of nuts, depending on where the weak point in each kind of shell is located

20. Bats use a keen sense of hearing to navigate in the dark and catch prey

21. Dogs, cats, and bears use their strong sense of smell to catch their prey.

22. Antelopes can smell approaching predators in time to flee.

23. Seals can see under water in near darkness
Seals can see under water in near darkness. Their long whiskers help them get food by detecting the movements of their prey.