This symbol following a word indicates that the word is in the glossary. Click on the question mark to see the definition . This means that they have similar shared biological and behavioral characteristics.
All mammals thermoregulate their bodies to a specific range of temperatures.
Using a complex system of heat retention and heat loss, and body coatings such as hair, skin and glands, mammals can live in a wide variety of climates. Mammals are also characterized by efficient breathing systems, a separate chest and abdominal cavity, a four-chambered heart, and a complex nervous system. Complex nutrition, locomotion and posture, reproductive strategies and behavioral flexibility are all mammalian traits. Mammals require a lot of food which is completely processed during digestion. A hard palate, a bony structure located in the throat, allows the animal to breath and chew at the same time.