| A | B |
|---|
| How many species of mammals are known to exist today? | about 4,300 |
| Are mammals ectotherms or endotherms? | endotherms |
| How many chambers are found in a mammal's heart? | four |
| Name some of the uses for a mammal's hair. | insulation, protection, and it helps their sense of touch |
| How do most mammals reproduce? | through a pregnancy and live birth |
| How do female mammals nourish their young? | with milk from special mammary glands |
| Why do most mammals have milk teeth? | for nursing and for feeding until the mouth is large enough for permanent teeth |
| Describe the eyesight of most mammals. | usually poor and lacking color vision |
| What is the most important sense for most mammals? | smell |
| What group of mammals have poorly developed placentas, giving birth to weak, helpless young? | marsupials |
| What bones form the wings of bats? | their finger bones |
| How do bats use the skin between their legs? | for catching insects in flight |
| Are bats blind? | no ... they have good vision |
| How do bats catch their food ... even in total darkness? | using high frequency sound |
| Describe the unusual growth style of the incisors of rodents. | they continue to growth throughout the life of the rodent |
| What is the hoof of a mammal like a horse? | a toenail |
| Why do carnivores need to feed less often than herbivores? | meat is easier to digest than plant food |
| What do whales use for insulation to trap their body heat from the cold water? | fat or blubber |
| To what group of mammals do humans belong? | the primate group |
| What sex of mammal has antlers? | males |
| What sex of mammal has horns. | both males and females |
| How often do mammals shed their antlers? | annually |
| How often do mammals shed their horns? | never ... they usually are permanent |
| Which is made of bone ... horns or antlers? | antlers |
| What is a rhinoceros horn made of? | compressed hair |
| How have the bodies of mammals changed to take faster steps? | muscles are on the body and not the legs and many bones have been shortened or eliminated |
| How have the bodies of mammals changed to take longer strides? | they run on the tips of their toes ... they run on the tip of the longest toe ... and they have flexible spines |
| How does hopping waste energy? | energy is spent going up instead of forward |
| Name the only marsupial found in North America. | the opossum |
| Which local mammal digs burrows but plugs the entrance with dirt? | the mole |
| How do skunks warn you before they squirt their scent? | they raise their tail and stamp their feet |
| Which common local mammal has footprints that look like human hands. | the raccoon |
| After near extinction, when were sea otters rediscovered along the Big Sur coast? | 1911 |
| How many hairs do sea otters have in one square inch of their fur? | about 100,000 |
| Which common local seal can walk on land? | the California Sea Lion |
| Which common local seal has ear flaps(pinna)? | the California Sea Lion |
| Which common local seal swims with its rear flippers? | the Harbor Seal |
| Where are Gray Whales traveling in their southbound migrations? | to lagoons in Mexico |
| Why do Gray Whales need to travel south each year? | because their babies have little blubber to insulate themselves so they need to be born in warmer waters |
