VMD 512: Zoo/Wild Animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

FEATURES IN CLASS MAMMALIA

The class mammalia has three basic features

• Skin has hair materials except cetacea
• These are warm blooded animals
• They suckle their young ones

Other features 

• Females have mammary glands
  • External ear lobes are present
  • No. of teeth is fixed in mammals and is species specific
  • Diphyodont dentition is present in mammals
  • Muscular diaphragm separating the thoracic and abdominal cavities is present
  • Mammals are viviparous except the monotremes
  • Heart has four chambers
  • Males have penis
  • Locomotion has three types (Plantigrade locomotion, digitigrades locomotion and unguligrade locomotion) due to variable limb structures
  • Skull is provided with two occipital condyles ((dicondylic)