Category Animal World

               What is the difference between a cow and a caterpillar? The question seems very silly because the difference is very explicit. Mammals are special because they are the most advanced of all the different classes of animal life. They are also the animals that we know best, because most of our pets, from dogs and cats to squirrels and rabbits, are mammals.

               Mammals are one of the commonest animals as they are found almost everywhere, from the Arctic snowfields to burning deserts and from tropical jungles to lofty mountains. Mammals are the ruling animals of the world today.

               Mammals live on land, at sea, in the air, and even underground. All mammals, from bats to whales, share a number of important traits that make them different from other animals. Mammals are warm-blooded, they have fur or hair, and most mammals give birth to live babies—rather than laying eggs. Mammals are superior to all other animals in the care and protection of their young. The female nurses the babies with milk that is produced by special glands called the mammary glands. In fact, they are the only animals that produce milk. Naturally, this makes them truly special!

               Life on earth is sustained by reproduction. There is so much diversity in reproduction too. The way in which a chick comes to life is different from the way a calf is born. Mammals are those animals that deliver young ones, and breast feed them.

               Mammals are one of the six main classes of animals. These classes are categories of animals that scientists consider to be alike in some important ways.

               A mammal is placed at the highest level of vertebrates, animals that have a backbone and a spinal cord. Human beings are mammals too. All female mammals give birth to live babies, with the exception of the platypus duck and the spiny anteater, which reproduce by laying eggs. However, regardless of how their babies are born, all female mammals nurse their young with milk, which they produce from special glands called the mammary glands.

              Another important characteristic of mammals is their lungs. They breathe in air for oxygen supply in their bodies. A mammal is warm-blooded. This means that their bodies are built to maintain just about the same temperature all the time. Warm-blood allows the mammals to be very active and live in a wide variety of places.

               Most mammals are covered either partially or completely with hair or fur. There are about 5000 types of mammals, including chimpanzees, elephants, bears, horses, pigs, bats, camels, mules, dogs and cats.

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            Vertebrates are called so by virtue of their vertebrae, backbone. Therefore, the most special characteristic of vertebrate animal is this spectacular bone system. Vertebrae are the small bones forming the backbone. The vertebrae connect together by joints to form the backbone.

             The backbone not only supports the body, it also protects the spinal cord. All vertebrates have a skeleton, usually made of bones, inside their bodies. The skeleton of a vertebrate grows as the animal grows. The skeleton has three main parts- the skull, backbone and limbs.

                 Another characteristic of vertebrates is their hard skulls. These skulls protect the organs in their head. This may be the reason for the high intelligence of vertebrates. The protection of the skull helps brain development, and a result allows the enhancement of intelligence as a result.

               Most vertebrates have two pairs of limbs. In fish, the limbs take the form of fins, while others they have become legs and arms, or wings or flippers. Vertebrates like snake have no external limbs.

              Most vertebrates have stronger muscles and skeletons. These features help them to perform complex movements. All vertebrates have a fixed body structure.

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               Man’s existence depends on not only the other members of his society, but also on various animals around him. Most big animals that we associate within our daily life are vertebrates. Some common vertebrate animals are cows, dogs, cats, bears, giraffes, rabbits, ducks, alligators, frogs, and turtles. Vertebrates are animals with backbones.

               There are five main groups of vertebrates: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Mammals are animals that have a covering of hair on the skin. They generally give birth to their young, which are breastfed by their mothers.

               Fish are vertebrates that live in water, breathe through gills, and have fins. They have an elongated body covered with scales. Birds, on the other hand, are egg-laying, feathered vertebrates. Their forelimbs have been modified to form wings in the process of evolution. Reptiles are vertebrates that lay eggs. Some of them are snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles and dinosaurs. They have an external covering of scales or horny plates.

               Amphibians, such as frogs or salamanders, are smooth skinned vertebrates, capable of living both on land and in water. They have gills when they are born. However, when they become adults, they develop lungs too.

               Vertebrates can be split further, into warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals. A warm-blooded animal, such as a dog or a man, keeps its body temperature the same, except when it is sick. Cold-blooded animals have fluctuating body temperature. It changes according to the surroundings. So if the weather is hot, the animal is warm, and if the weather is wintery, it turns cold!

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               Life underwater is so diverse and numerous. For Man living on the dry land, animals in the sea with strange forms and colours instill wonder and curiosity. For a long time, all living marine animals were fishes for him. The starfish, although not a fish, is such an animal. Today, scientists are in the process of renaming the animal as the sea star.

               The sea star is an echinoderm. Echinoderms are free swimming marine organisms that are found at all depths of the sea. Starfish, sea urchins, and sea daisies are some common echinoderms.

               Most starfish have five-arms. But some have as many as 45! There are more than 2000 different species of starfish. Their sizes range from less than 25 millimetres to almost 90 centimetres across. They come in a variety of colours ranging from bright red to yellow and orange. Grey and green are also found.

               The most remarkable thing about starfish is their power of regeneration. If you cut a starfish into three pieces, it will grow back as three starfish! Regeneration usually requires that the piece of starfish includes at least one arm and part of the central disc. But in some kinds of starfish, a whole animal can be regenerated from the piece of a single arm.

               There is an eye at the end of each arm, usually marked by a red spot. Star fish have feet that look like tubes. These tube feet help them move. A starfish has hundreds of feet. The mouth of a starfish is at the centre of its underside.

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