Mammals are a vertebrate class (Mammalia) characterized by endothermy, hair or fur, and the presence of mammary glands that produce milk to nourish offspring. They possess a neocortex, three middle ear ossicles, and a single-boned lower jaw articulating with the squamosal bone. Most exhibit viviparity with complex placentation (except monotremes, which are oviparous) and show determinate growth with advanced parental care and social behaviors. Mammalian physiology includes high metabolic rates, a four-chambered heart, and differentiated dentition, supporting ecological diversification into terrestrial, aerial, and aquatic niches across nearly all biomes.
In addition to humans, some species of primates and birds have demonstrated under experimental conditions their ability to manipulate quantities in tasks that require combining or separating them, in a manner similar to addition ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 29, 2026
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The tight fit of a baby's head through a mother's birth canal, which causes great difficulty in childbirth, is not unique to humans, as previously understood. Instead, some small-bodied primate babies have heads almost twice ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 29, 2026
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A new study from the Honduran Mosquitia shows how simple, noninvasive technology can help solve one of the most common challenges in wildlife conservation: identifying the species actually responsible for crop damage. The ...
Ecology
Jun 29, 2026
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The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in seabirds in two Australian states.
Veterinary medicine
Jun 28, 2026
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A new study by an international research team led by Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig) has revealed striking similarities in the way humans and dogs interact ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 27, 2026
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Biologists group animals with similar traits into broad categories called orders. Despite their similarities, animal species in the same order can have very different average lifespans.
Scientists have spotted two humpback whales that made separate, record-breaking crossings between Australia and Brazil.
Plants & Animals
Jun 27, 2026
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When biologists study cooperation in animals, they usually offer just a single task at a time. But what happens when animals can choose among several opportunities to work together? Biologists at Utrecht University discovered ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 26, 2026
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A new study has uncovered a previously unknown antiviral defense mechanism in sea anemones, revealing that animals may have evolved more than one way to fight viral infections. Researchers discovered that a protein resembling ...
Evolution
Jun 26, 2026
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168
A giraffe named Gracie is missing in Texas, and the search for her has become a tall order.
Plants & Animals
Jun 25, 2026
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