GENERAL CHARACTERS

OF CLASS MAMMALIA

Warm blooded, mostly quadruped animals (four legged)

Body is divided into head ,neck , trunk and mostly tail
Body is covered by hair or fur which is made of keratin.
Hair provides insulation . (Hair absent in Cetaceans Ex.
Whale)
Skin has sweat glands and sebaceous gland or oil gland
Endothermic or homeothermic, maintain their body
temperature.
Head is well developed .Eyes have movable eye lids.
External ears or pinnae present .
Mammary glands are present to produce milk to nourish
their young. Functional only in females.

Skull with two occipital condyles .

The lower jaw is usually formed by
dentary .Teeth lodged in sockets (Thecodont) , Heterodont dentition
different types of teeth incisors,
canines, premolars and molars, with
two sets of teeth,milk and permanent
(diphyodont)

Vertebrae with flat centrum or body

(amphiplatyus)
Seven cervical vertebrae present
Cervical
1

Cervical 1

Cervical 7

Trunk bears two pair of limbs which

are pentadactyl (five digits each),
which bear claws, hooves or nails for
protection
Body cavity is a true coelom ,which
is divided into two compartments by
a muscular partition the diaphragm
into anterior thoracic and posterior
abdominal cavity

Brain is well developed , cerebrum is large

divided into two hemispheres by a median
fissure, the two hemispheres are connected
internally by corpus callosum .Brain is also
characterised by the presence of corpora
quadrigemina and pons varolli .
Corpora quadrigemina: functions mainly as
a relay center for auditory information and
to control visual reflexes.
12 pairs of cranial nerves

Mammalian brain (Section)

Presence of coiled turbinal bone in nasal

passage which acts as filter for inspired air.
Three ear ossicles- malleus, incus and stapes
Well developed cochlea and organ of corti

Larynx with vocal cords

Lungs are organ of respiration .The
lungs of mammals have a spongy and
soft texture and are honeycombed
with epithelium, having a much larger
surface area in total than the outer
surface area .Breathing is largely
driven by the muscular diaphragm at
the bottom of the thorax.

Digestive system complete with

associated digestive glands like the
salivary glands, pancreas and the
liver.
Heart is completely four chambered.
Single aortic arch going to the left.
Non-nucleated RBC
Endocrine system well developed
Meta nephric kidney

Sexes are separate .Fertilization is internal.

External sexual dimorphism seen. Males
have copulatory structure penis. Eggs are
alecithal (yolk absent) , except in
Monotremata
Embryonic membranes amnion, chorion and
allantois are present , except in
monotremata
Viviparous Giving birth to living young that
develop within the mother's body rather than
hatching from eggs

Parental care evident, young ones

feed on milk secreted by mammary
gland

Credits
Wikipedia
Chordate Zoology E.L. Jordan &
P.S.Verma 2004