Larger brains, warm blood, and improved methods of caring for their young, have given mammals an edge in the competitive struggle for survival on earth. Mammals are vertebrates that produce milk for their young. Generally speaking most mammals have hair. The family of whales and dolphins known as Cetaceans have hair on their snouts as a fetus. Hairs can be seen along the snout of younger whales and dolphins (looks like little whiskers, and those fall out within a short period of time after birth), and in specialized locations on the head of adults of some species (for example, right whales have visible hairs on their snout area; humpbacks have a whisker in each of the raised "knuckles" on their head). So, they do have hair at some point in their life. They don't necessarily keep it, and it isn't like hair that humans or other mammals have. Porcupines begin life with hair which turns into quills as they mature. One oddity of nature and an exception to our definition of a mammal, is the Duck-Billed Platypus. The Platypus is a mammal which has hair, produces milk for its young, lays eggs, has a duck like snout and webbed feet. The fact that it lays eggs makes it an evolutionary mystery to scientists. Mammals can be found everywhere on the planet, from the Arctic to the deserts. Because of their flexibility to adapt, the mammal family is considered to be dominant on the planet. Vocabulary - Type your answer in the box.(Correct Spelling Counts) warm hair vertebrates milk live cold eggs oceans survival quills 1. Because they are adaptable, mammals have great advantages for ____ . 2. Mammals give birth to ____ young. 3. The Platypus young come from ____ . 4. As a porcupine matures its hair turns into ____ . 5. Mammals can be found in ____ climates. 6. Animals with backbones, mammals are ____ . 7. Mammals produce ____ for their young. 8. Mammals can be found in the ____ . 9. Although mammals generally do, whales don't have any ____ . 10. Mammals are ____ - blooded. Your score is out of 10.
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