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Mammals There are three different types of mammals: Monotremes, Marsupials, and Placental Mammals.The three types of mammals are monotremes, marsupials, and placentals. Monotremes such as the platypus have many features similar to their reptile ancestors. Femal marsupials such as wallabies, give birth to young who are not fully developed and protect them in pouchs until the young can survive. The young placental mammals such as busbabies, are fed inside the females' bodies' and are more developed than marsupials at birth. Most animals are mammals. Dogs, horses, and humans are mammals. Mammals are warm-blooded and most have fur or hair. All mammals, except for the platypus and echidna, give birth to live young and feed their young milk. Since all mammals are warm-blooded, this allows them to live in almost any environment. They can live in jungles, deserts, mountains, and oceans. Mammals have evolved from reptiles with several jaw bones, although mammals only have one lower jaw bone. Certain mammals look alike because they live in similar environments. For example, the aye-aye and the striped possum look similar. The koala and the sloth also look similar, too. This is called convergent evolution. Mammals are hunters and scavengers. They can eat almost anything, from plants to other animals. Many carnivorous mammals search for food together. Some mammals, such as orang-utans and koalas, are solitary. They live alone. Most mammals, however, live in groups because it allows them to defend each other and escape from predators. Smell and facial expressions are used to talk to each other. Types of Mammals - Examples:
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