MAMMALS

The presence of hair is one of the most obvious traits of a mammal. Although it is
not very extensive on certain species, such as whales, hair has many important
functions for mammals. Mammals are endothermic so hair provides insulation to
retain heat generated by metabolic work by trapping a layer of air close to the
body . Along with insulation, hair can serve as a sensory mechanism via specialized
hairs called vibrissae, better known as whiskers. These attach to nerves that
transmit information about sensation, which is particularly useful to nocturnal or
burrowing mammals. Hair can also provide protective coloration or be part of
social signaling, such as when an animal's hair stands "on end. "

Mammalian fur as insulation;.Polar bears use their fur for warmth. While
their skin is black, their transparent fur appears white, providing
camouflage while hunting and serving as protection by hiding cubs in the snow.

Mammalian integument, or skin, includes secretory glands with various functions.

Sebaceous glands produce a lipid mixture called sebum that is secreted onto the
hair and skin for water resistance and lubrication. Sebaceous glands are located
over most of the body. Eccrine glands produce sweat, or perspiration, which is
mainly composed of water. In most mammals, eccrine glands are limited to certain
areas of the body; some mammals do not possess them at all. However, in primates,
especially humans, sweat figures prominently in thermoregulation, regulating the
body through evaporative cooling. Sweat glands are located over most of the body
surface in primates. Apocrine glands, or scent glands, secrete substances that are
used for chemical communication, such as in skunks. Mammary glands produce
milk that is used to feed newborns. While male monotremesand eutherians possess
mammary glands, male marsupials do not. Mammary glands are probably modified
sebaceous or eccrine glands, but their evolutionary origin is not entirely clear.

The skeletal system of mammals possesses many unique features. The lower jaw of
mammals consists of only one bone, the dentary. The jaws of other vertebrates are
composed of more than one bone. In mammals, the dentary bone joins the skull at the
squamosal bone, while in other vertebrates, the quadrate bone of the jaw joins with
the articular bone of the skull. These bones are present in mammals, but they have
been modified to function in hearing and form bones in the middle ear . Other
vertebrates possess only one middle ear bone, the stapes. Mammals have three:
the malleus, incus, and stapes. The malleus originated from the articular bone,
whereas the incus originated from the quadrate bone. This arrangement of jaw and ear
bones aids in distinguishing fossil mammals from fossils of other synapsids.