Week 7: Animals with Four Legs

October, 2012

Mammals, week 1

God created mammals on the 6th day from the dust of the ground. Among all of the living creatures coming from God's Hands, this group has been the most helpful to man. Mammals have been chief sources of meat for man's diet, and his only source of dairy products , such as cheeses and milk. Beef, pork, mutton, veal, and lamb are meats that man obtains from domestic animals. In this country there are many wild animals that are used for food as well, members of the deer, rabbit, and squirrel families are appreciated as sources of meat, as are others. Clothing products, such as leather, wool, and fur, come from mammals. Before the machine age, mammals such as horses, donkeys, mules, camels, and dromedaries were used in working the soil, harvesting, marketing crops, pulling wagons and boats, turning mills, hauling fuel, mining coal, and many other essential tasks.

Our Quick Notes: Any living creature with a backbone is called a vertebrate. Mammals and birds are the only two warm-blooded, vertebrate classes of animals living on earth. The other vertebrate classes are amphibians, reptiles, and fishes, and are cold-blooded. The word animalis used to mean all living things (except man) that is not a plant. Mammals are animals...but many animals are not mammals. Insects, reptiles, and birds are animals and not mammals. Mammals are warm-blooded. Some remain active during the winter because of their warm-blooded nature. All reptiles, amphibians, most insects, and other cold-blooded creatures become dormant during the winter.

An aid to winter activity is the coat of fur or hair God has given many mammals. Fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and birds do not have fur/hair. Elephants and whales do not have many hairs, but their thicker skin protects them. Each hair grows out of a pit in the skin. With its small muscle attached at the root, the hair can be raised, as when frightened or angered.Some hairs are sense organs. These are usually found around the mouth and eyes. Nerves carry a message to the brain when the hair is touched.

Mammals possess skin glands as well, most mammals having 3 types. Sweat glands ooze water taken from the blood stream. The skin is cooled as the water (sweat) is taken from the skin into the air. Another gland is is the oil gland, located at the base of each hair. The oil keeps the hair glossy and soft. The fur of the animals sheds water in the rain partly because of the oil that dresses each hair. The third gland is the milk, or mammary, gland. This gland is where mammals get their name from. Young mammals drink milk from the mammary glands of their mothers at birth and afterward.

In the same way a birds beak will indicate the type of food they eat and their feet will distinguish ground from water birds, God has designed the teeth and jaws of mammals specifically for their food sources. Likewise, the Lord has provided a wide variety of limb and foot shapes, suitable for differing habitat.

A water mammal may have webbed toes or flippers, and a rudder-like tail may aid in swimming. A mammal living in trees will have paws that can grasp and sometimes a tail that can be wrapped around a branch to bear the weight of the body. Burrowing animals have long, strong claws used for digging. Creatures that escape by running such as deer, elk, pronghorns are supplied with long legs and hooves. Those who take to air have ample wings. The sharp, curved claws of the cat species catch and hold living pray.

There are only two mammals that do not give live birth, but lay eggs instead:

Duckbill Platypus The duckbill platypus has a body and tail that are relatively flat, like a beaver's. Its mouth is formed into a soft beak, giving the animal its duckbill name. Duckbills are amphibious creatures and capable swimmers. Platypus' sense of smell enables them to forage for food underwater. They are found only in Australia.

Spiny Anteater There are two living species of echidna, the spiny anteater; both of them live in Australia. They have prickly and stiff fur along the back, giving them an appearance similar to hedgehogs or porcupines. The spiny anteater eats ants and termites, like the more familiar giant anteater, to which it is not related. For defense, a spiny anteater rolls itself into a ball and displays sharp prickly spines. Although the spiny anteater is a terrestrial animal, fossil records indicate that this species originally developed from the amphibious platypus.


The largest mammals... Largest Carnivore - Southern Elephant Seal Photo Rich Lindie / iStockphoto.

Weight: 2.2 5 tonnes (2.38 5.5 tons) Length: 4.2 - 6 m (14 - 20 ft)

Southern elephant seals are the largest species within the Order Carnivora. Male southern elephant seals weigh four to five times that of females. Prior to the inclusion of the southern elephant seal and its relatives in the Carnivora (they had previously belonged to the Order Pinnepedia) the largest carnivore was the polar bear. Other large carnivores include brown bears and Siberian tigers. Largest Cetacean - Blue Whale Public Domain Photo / NOAA. Weight: 110 - 160 tonnes (110 - 176 tons) Length: 20 - 30 m (66 - 98 ft)

The blue whale is the largest member of the Order Cetacea. But its accolades don't stop there. The blue whale is also the largest animal alive today and is perhaps the largest animal ever to have lived. Blue whales produce vocalizations at volumes in excess of 180 decibels, earning them the title of the loudest animal on the planet. The fin whale comes in a close second in size to the blue whale.


Largest Lagomorph - European Hare Photo Kaphoto / iStockphoto.

Weight: 3 - 6.5 kg (6.6 - 11 lbs) Length: 680 mm (26.77 in)

After elephant seals, blue whales, and hippos, a hare can't possibly seem that big but even the smaller groups of mammals have their larger breeds. Of all the members of the Order Lagomorpha, the largest is the European hare. It may not be the Were-Rabbit, but the European hare does tip the scale at a respectable bulk.

Largest Marsupial - Red Kangaroo Photo John Carnemolla / iStockphoto. Weight: 25 - 90 kg (55 - 200 lbs) Length (body): 1 - 1.6 m (3.25 - 5.25 ft) Length (tail): 75 - 120 cm (30 - 47 in)

The red kangaroo is the largest of the marsupials. Male red kangaroos can be more than twice the weight of females. The sexes can be distinguished by their coat color (males are a rusty red color while females are blue-grey).


Largest Odd-T Ungulate - White Rhinoceros oed Photo Adrian T Jones / Shutterstock. Weight: 2.33 tonnes (2.5 tons) Length: 3.7 - 4 m (12 - 13 ft)

The odd-toed ungulates include horses, zebras, asses, tapirs, and rhinoceroses. Of all the species in these groups, the white rhinoceros is the largest. White rhinos have two horns, a short neck and hump on the back of the neck. Despite their name, white rhino are not white but are instead brown to slate grey. White rhinos inhabit grassy, open plains and savanna type habiats that also have some shrubs and trees. The white rhinoceros and the hippopotamus rival each other as being the largest land animal after elephants.

Largest Primate - Eastern Lowland Gorilla Photo Guenterguni / iStockphoto.

Weight: 225 kg (500 lb) Length: 1.83 m (6 ft)

The eastern lowland gorilla is the largest living primate. Eastern lowland gorillas are occasionally exhibited in zoos, so records of animal weights have been collected. The largest known eastern lowland gorilla, Phil, resided at the St. Louis Zoo from 1941 to 1958. Phil weighed 388 kg and was 180 cm tall.

 Largest Proboscid - African Elephant Photo Lynn Amaral / Shutterstock. Weight: 4 - 7 tonnes (4.5 - 7.8 tons) Length: 4 - 5 m (13 - 16 ft)

The African elephant is the largest of the proboscids. Of course, there are only two species of proboscidsthe other species being the Asian elephantso being the bigger of two species many not sound like much of an achievement. But not only are African elephants the largest proboscid, they are also the largest land animal. Asian elephants are the second largest land animal, followed by the white rhinoceros and hippopotamus.

Largest Rodent - Capybara Photo Dagsjo / iStockphoto.

Weight: 35 - 66 kg (77 - 145 lb) Length: 1.1 - 1.3 m (3.5 - 4.3 ft)

The capybara is the world's largest rodent. This semi-aquatic mammal lives throughout much of South America including Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Guyana, Uruguay, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Frenh Guyana. It inhabits dense forests that are close to lakes, ponds, rivers, and swamps. Agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas and guinea pigs are the capybara's closest living kin. Capybaras have a large body, coarse fur, and partially webbed feet. The largest known rodent ever to have lived is the now extinct Josephoartigasia monesi.

Largest Sirenian - West Indian Manatee Photo NaluPhoto / iStockphoto.

Weight: 200 - 600 kg (440 - 1320 lb) Length: 2.5 - 4.5 m (8.3 - 15 ft)

The West Indian manatee is the largest of all sirenians, a group of fully-aquatic marine mammals that includes the dugong and three species of manatees. The West Indian manatee includes two subspeces, the Florida Manatee and the Caribbean Manatee. The West Indian manatee was once dwarfed by another sirenian species, the Steller's sea cow. Formerly abundant in the North Pacific, the Stellar's sea cow was hunted to extinction by 1768, only 27 years after the species had been discovered by Europeans.

And the smallest mammals: Smallest Biped Mammal Bipedalism refers to a state of locomotion where animals move using their hind legs. The Spinifex Hoppingmouse (Notomys alexis) is Native to Australia and is found in the dryer parts of the country around Central Australia and Western Australia where Spinifex-type plants make up most of the vegetation. The Spinifex Hopping-mouse grows to only 7 8cm making it the smallest biped mammal. It walks on all fours at times, but often it moves about by hopping on its hind legs and has been known to travel up to 15km in search of rain.


Smallest Flying Mammal

The bumblebee bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai) is found in Myanmor and Thailand and is the worlds smallest mammal. It derived its name due to its small size, about the same size as a large bumblebee. They grow to 29 33mm (1.1 1.3in) in length and weigh 2g (0.07oz). The wingspan of the bumblebee bat is 170mm (6.7in). The bumblebee bat is also known as Kittis Hog Nosed Bat because the tiny mammal was discovered by Kitti Thonglongya and due to its pig-like nose.

Smallest Livestock Mammal

Livestock mammals are those that humans farm for food (meat, dairy), wool, and to work on the farm (eg: pulling a plough). The smallest livestock mammal is actually the Guinea Pig (Cavia sp.). The indigenous people in the Andes originally bred the guinea pig for their meat, but other countries (such as Bolivia and Peru) also eat guinea pig meat. The guinea pig was once also a popular model for scientific research, but due to their ease of care and docile nature, they have evolved into a domestic pet. Guinea pigs grow to 20 40cm (8 16in) in length and weigh between 0.5 1.5kg (1 3.5lb).


Smallest Marine Mammal

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is the smallest mammal in the marine mammal category. They live along the coasts of California, Alaska, Russia, British Columbia and Japan, though their numbers are fairly low due to them being hunted in the past for their fur. Californian female see otters grow to 16 27kg (35 60lb) and males grow to up to 40kg (90lb). The sea otter has 850,000 1 million hairs per square inch of its body consisting of two layers. These layers help trap air next to the skin and keep water out. In fact, the sea otter has the thickest fur of all the mammals!

Smallest Quadruped Mammal

The Harvest mouse (Micromys minutes) is the smallest quadruped mammal. Habitat range is across most of Europe, Eastern Russia, Korea, Southern China and parts of Britain. Harvest mice live in hedgerows, reed beds and cereal crops (eg; wheat, oats), and have a prehensile tail that helps them to grip and climb the tall vegetation. Harvest mice actually build breeding nests in stems of plants, high above the ground. This tiny mammal grows to 5 8cm in length and weighs 5 11g. The pygmy possum is another tiny mammal that is often claimed to be the smallest mammal, however, pygmy possums generally weigh around 9g and up.

Study Questions: God has created most species in the mammal class to (bear young alive, lay eggs, be warm-blooded, be coldblooded, have backbones, have no backbones) choose 3

Which statement is correct? A. A mammal may be an insect, a bird, a reptile, or an amphibian B. An animal may be an insect, a bird, a reptile, or an amphibian

Which of the following are habitats? A. a marsh or swamp B. A zoo C. A forest or mountain D. A lake, river, sea, or ocean E. An aquarium

Some mammals live in very cold climates. They can so this because they (are cold-blooded, are warm-blooded, are very large, can run fast, can dig, have thick coats of fur, have no hair) choose 2

(Five, Four, Three, T One) other animal class/classes has/have backbones besides mammals. Name it/ wo, them.

(Five, Four, Three, T One, No) other backboned animal class/classes has/have fur besides mammals. wo,

(All, No) (birds, fishes, amphibians, reptiles) bear their young alive.

(Some, No) birds, fishes, amphibians, reptiles feed their young from milk glands.


Name six characteristics of most mammals.

Mammals are (more useful, less useful) to man than other classes of animals.

Which is true? A. All mammals have teeth shaped alike B. Various mammals have differently shaped teeth.

Which is true? A. Various mammal families have differently shaped limbs and feet. B. All mammals have limbs and feet shaped alike.

Mammals live... A. only in underground burrows. B. only in the sea. C. only in trees. D. only in the air. E. only on the ground. F. in underground burrows, the sea, trees, the air, and on the ground.

Mammals are (usually very, very small, usually very, very large, found in sizes varying from very small to very large).

Links to check out yourself: http://www.mnh.si.edu/mammals/pages/what/index.htm Smithsonian Institute Mammal pages http://animals.about.com/od/mammals/a/mammals-characteristics.htm 9 Characteristics of Mammals http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Mammalia/ Animal Diversity Web http://www.earthlife.net/mammals/skeleton.html EarthLife pages on mammal skeleton structure http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=22800 Peachpit, Animating Four-legged Mammals http://www.smokymountainsvisitorsguide.com/wildlife/mammals.htm Mammals of the Great Smoky Mountains http://www.kidport.com/RefLIB/Science/Animals/Mammals.htm Kidport Reference Library http://homeschoolfreestuff.wordpress.com/science/biology/zoology-animals/ Homeschool Free Stuff zoology pages http://lapbooklessons.ning.com/notes/All_Animals Lapbook Lessons pages on animals http://www.homeschoolshare.com/animal_classification_lapbook.php HomeschoolShare Classification lapbook

Selected passages and information quoted directly from God's Marvelous Works, book 2 from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc. Images taken from various websites via Google Search

Deanna Smith, 2012

For personal use only