MAMMALIA

Mammalia, class Mammalia

(noun) warm-blooded vertebrates characterized by mammary glands in the female

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Mam*ma"li*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from L. mammalis. See Mammal.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: The highest class of Vertebrata. The young are nourished for a time by milk, or an analogous fluid, secreted by the mammary glands of the mother.

Note: Mammalia are divided into threes subclasses; --I. Placentalia. This subclass embraces all the higher orders, including man. In these the fetus is attached to the uterus by a placenta. II. Marsupialia. In these no placenta is formed, and the young, which are born at an early state of development, are carried for a time attached to the teats, and usually protected by a marsupial pouch. The opossum, kangaroo, wombat, and koala are examples. III. Monotremata. In this group, which includes the genera Echidna and Ornithorhynchus, the female lays large eggs resembling those of a bird or lizard, and the young, which are hatched like those of birds, are nourished by a watery secretion from the imperfectly developed mammæ.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

24 June 2025

CLINGFISH

(noun) very small (to 3 inches) flattened marine fish with a sucking disc on the abdomen for clinging to rocks etc.


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Coffee Trivia

Contrary to popular belief, coffee beans are not technically beans. They are referred to as such because of their resemblance to legumes. A coffee bean is a seed of the Coffea plant and the source for coffee. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit, often referred to as a cherry. Just like ordinary cherries, the coffee fruit is also a so-called stone fruit.

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