CLASS MAMMALIA: MAMMALS
Giant Panda: Ailuropoda melanoleuca
Here’s the class you probably know the most about- or do you? Let’s find out... (*cue evil laugh*). All mammals have...
...skin that protects the animal’s body and can produce hair, horns, claws, nails, and/or hooves. Hair is used for many purposes, such as warmth, sensing, or (in the porcupine or hedgehog’s case) protection. The skin also has glands, one of which is the mammary gland. The mammary gland is found on female mammals and is used to feed their young milk. We have 4-chambered hearts, so oxygenated and deoxygenated blood never mix (If you read the reptile page, yes, you can brag to the amphibians). The blood is then distributed throughout the body by blood vessels. Mammals not only have an advanced heart but an advanced brain as well. The problem solving, learning, and remembering part of our brains along with the muscle coordination part are larger than in other animals. Monotremes, Marsupials, and Placentals are three important divisions of the Class Mammalia. You thought mammals didn’t lay eggs, did you? Nope! Monotremes like the platypus actually lay eggs with leathery shells. They also do not have nipples for their mammary glands. You’ve probably heard of marsupials before- this group includes koalas and kangaroos, common favorites. Marsupials give birth to tiny young who crawl to a pouch or mammary gland to develop. Any mother you ask will probably say that pregnancy was a long, unpleasant process. That’s because we humans are placentals. Unlike monotremes or marsupials, placentals must carry their young in the uterus until fully developed. The name placental is because of the placenta, an organ that absorbs nutrients from the mom. An umbilical cord transports food from the placenta to the embryo.
I’m sure there’s no need to explain why I love the animal in the above picture (If you seriously have no idea: cute, cute, and cute). Like many others, Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are one of my favorite animals. Sadly, these adorable creatures have lost much of their original home due to development and can now only be found in the mountain ranges of Central China. Every panda needs bamboo, so they tend to live in forests dense with bamboo. Though bamboo is obviously a favorite with these animals, they can also eat grass and rodents in the wild and sugar cane, rice gruel, high-fiber biscuits, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes in captivity. Life span in the wild can be anywhere from 14-20 years, while life span in captivity can be up to 30 years.