Mammals
Scientifically-speaking there are 11 mammal groups, and most Mammals are warm-blooded, have body hair, give live birth and nurse their young with milk from mammary glands. Check out these articles about all kinds of mammals.
How Often Do Whales Come Up for Air?
How Do Whales Sleep? They're Always Half Awake (Literally)
Are Whales Mammals? Yes, and They're Related to Hippos
The Largest Bat in the World Has a Wingspan Over 5 Feet
Baby Bats Babble With Moms, Hinting at Human Language Development
Fruit Bats Are the Best Pollinators (and Suppliers of Tequila)
What Do Pandas Eat (Other Than Bamboo)?
Polar Bear vs. Grizzly Bear: Which Bear Is Bigger and Tougher?
The Biggest Bear Stands 5 Feet Tall on All Fours (Not Even on Its Hind Legs)
Mountain Lion vs. Bobcat: A Big Cat Showdown
Panther vs. Jaguar: Kind of Like Saying 'Apple vs. Granny Smith'
Siberian Tiger vs. Bengal Tiger: A Showdown of Big Cats
Hippo vs. Rhino: Who Comes Out on Top?
6 Types of Horses for Riding, Racing and Farm Work
Ram vs. Goat: Horns, Tails, Temperaments and More
The Happiest Animal on Earth Is the Quokka
What Do Possums Eat? Most Things, It Turns Out
What's It Like Inside a Kangaroo's Pouch?
15 Types of Monkeys Climbing Trees All Around the World
What Do Gorillas Eat? How Are They Such Muscular Herbivores?
The Tarsier Is One Weird Primate, and Yes, We're Related
Woodchuck vs. Beaver Habitats, Behaviors, and Misidentification
Beaver vs. Groundhog: Brown Rodents With Very Different Homes
Is the Rat King Real or Simply an Urban Legend?
Gray Fox vs. Coyote: Comparing Canids of the Wild
Wolverine vs. Badger: An Intensely Scrappy Showdown
What Do Skunks Eat? Just About Anything They Find
Learn More / Page 13
Remember practicing the stop, drop and roll drill in school? If you were an armadillo, rolling up into a tight little ball would be second nature. But how do these armored creatures tuck every last square inch of themselves into a sphere? And why?
Whether you're sleeping on a water bed or napping during a rainstorm, water has a calming effect. Walruses also make use of soothing waves, but why don't they drown when catching submerged shut-eye?
Those of us who wear glasses will just stew in our own astigmatic juices if we're called "four eyes." Nearsighted rhinos, however, use their pointy horns for payback.
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A hippo doesn't need to lumber to the local drug store and buy sunscreen; it can make its own. And the method is pretty ingenious.
Porcupines know nothing of bad hair days. These walking pin cushions use their prickly "hairs" to impale any animal that may pose a threat to their well-being.
If your home has termites and the exterminator is booked, you might want to send in an anteater or aardvark. Though both these animals love insects, they're two totally different species.
Perhaps just as puzzling as the Rubik's Cube (though not as colorful), the purpose of wombat scat's geometrical shape seems mysterious. So what's the scoop on wombat poop?
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Ever since word spread about the seven deadly sins, sloths have been getting a bad rap. These sluggish tree-dwellers conserve energy by stopping to smell (and eat) the roses.
If you've been sprayed by a skunk, you probably ended up in a bathtub filled with tomato juice. But is there any truth to this treatment, or should we debunk the skunk?
As issues like drought make headlines, the topic of water conservation has become critical. Perhaps we should look to the camel for guidance as this desert-dweller saves every last drop.
If Mother Nature has a sense of humor, surely the platypus is one of her punch lines. This mammal might look funny, but one of its offensive adaptations is no laughing matter.
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Storybook villains always seem to have warts. These unsightly growths may be indicators of wickedness in the fairy-tale world, but they're crucial features for some hogs living in the animal kingdom.
With their built-in masks and ability to snatch food, it seems raccoons were meant for a life of crime. But do these thieves wash away the evidence by rinsing food in water?
Mammals are a ubiquitous and diverse class of animals. Learn all about mammals, including hippopotamuses, killer whales, sugar gliders and more, by viewing this mammal image gallery.
By Marie Bobel
Prairie dogs may look cute and cuddly, but are these rodents harbingers of deathly plague? Since there aren't any underground pharmacies in prairie dog towns, will disease wipe out these animals?
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Besides our genetic similarities, gorillas also share our love of getting a good night's sleep -- except that their alarm clocks come in the form of dangerous predators and poachers.
If Bullwinkle had made the move up north, he would have felt right at home. Though moose in Alaska don't have squirrel sidekicks, they do take advantage of their urban surroundings.
If the animal world were school, otters would be those kids who never leave the playground. Always begging for five more minutes of recess, otters take playtime very seriously.
Marsupials are mammals that commonly bear a pouch such as kangaroos and koalas. Did you know that two thirds of marsupial species are found in Australia? Find out more by viewing this marsupial image gallery.
By Marie Bobel
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If you don't make it past that first "E" during your annual vision test, you might give bats a reprieve by calling yourself "blind as a manatee."
Orangutans might be the most low-key of the world's apes, but that doesn't mean they don't like to socialize. So are these redheads miscast as loners, or are orangutans introverts?
If you come across a cougar, you might scream in fear. So if this predator could easily devour you, why might it harmonize your screech with its own tone-deaf shriek?
Their genetic similarity to humans makes chimps great subjects for medical research. But some countries are banning this research because these apelike similarities are a little too close for comfort.
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With powerful jaws, massive paws and piercing claws, the leopard is built for hunting. But how can this cat possibly take down animals three times its size?
Avoiding eye contact is a form of body language (and a sign you're probably lying). Gazelles might not use body language to lie, but they do rely on it to survive.