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A mammal (from Latin mamma ' breast ') [1] is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (/ m ə ˈ m eɪ l i. ə /).Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones.
Molecular studies by molecular systematists, based on DNA analysis, in the early 21st century have revealed new relationships among mammal families. Classification systems based on molecular studies reveal three major groups or lineages of placental mammals, Afrotheria, Xenarthra, and Boreoeutheria. which diverged from early common ancestors in the Cretaceous.
Theria (/ ˈ θ ɪər i ə / or / ˈ θ ɛr i ə /; from Ancient Greek θηρίον (thēríon) ' wild beast ') is a subclass of mammals [2] amongst the Theriiformes.Theria includes the eutherians (including the placental mammals) and the metatherians (including the marsupials) but excludes the egg-laying monotremes and various extinct mammals evolving prior to the common ancestor of ...
Eutheria (from Greek εὐ-, eú-'good, right' and θηρίον, thēríon 'beast'; lit. ' true beasts '), also called Pan-Placentalia, is the clade consisting of placentals and all therian mammals that are more closely related to placentals than to marsupials.
In zoology, mammalogy is the study of mammals – a class of vertebrates with characteristics such as homeothermic metabolism, fur, four-chambered hearts, and complex nervous systems. [1] Mammalogy has also been known as mastology , theriology , and therology .
Sexual dimorphism in lions is the most prominent among felids Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. [62] Sexual dimorphism in carnivorans, in which males are larger than females, is common.
For example, ape has been used either as an alternative for monkey or for any tailless, relatively human-like primate. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] Sir Wilfrid Le Gros Clark was one of the primatologists who developed the idea of trends in primate evolution and the methodology of arranging the living members of an order into an "ascending series" leading to ...
Among studies that use physical characteristics rather than DNA to look at relationships, a large phenomic analysis of living and fossil mammals suggests placental mammals evolved shortly after the end of the Cretaceous, and first split into Xenarthra and Epitheria (all other placentals).