The characteristics that make a mammal a mammal include pres- ence of hair or fur, warm-blooded, young born alive, mammary glands and complex brain.
What are the 7 characteristics of mammals?
Characteristics of Mammals
- The presence of hair or fur.
- Sweat glands.
- Glands specialized to produce milk, known as mammary glands.
- Three middle ear bones.
- A neocortex region in the brain, which specializes in seeing and hearing.
- Specialized teeth.
- A four-chambered heart.
What do you need to be classified as a mammal?
An animal is considered a mammal if it can produce milk. Other features unique to mammals include hair or fur (chemically different from hairlike structures on non-mammals); the malleus, incus, and stapes in the ear; and a diaphragm separating the heart and lungs from the abdomen.
