Questions tagged [mammals]
Questions related to mammals, animals that nurse their young, have a neocortex, and three middle ear bones.
200
questions
26
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1answer
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Specific mechanism behind lethality of yellow coat color in mice
Our high school genetics chapter has some extra information about L.Cuenot. It only covered his research, and the fact that mice homozygous for yellow coat color would die before birth. It was an ...
2
votes
1answer
100 views
Mystery rodent in Winnipeg
I spotted this rodent in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on September 6, 2020.
It is about 10 inches long.
What is it?
1
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1answer
87 views
What is the animal in Nosferatu movie? [closed]
I was watching Nosferatu, and this dog-like animal appeared, with very curious stripes. I was wondering if this is clearly a specific animal, and which one it is, or if it's too mixed up and low ...
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0answers
56 views
Why do mammals rarely have eyespots?
An eyespot is a marking to mimic the eyes. Many examples of eyespots can be found in fish, reptiles (including birds), and insects. Recently Radford 2020 has shown that artificial eyespots can reduce ...
0
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0answers
21 views
How do naked mole rats suckle when their lips are behind their teeth?
Lips are believed to be needed in mammals so that we can create an ample seal for suckling milk, and while I'm aware they /do/ have lips and can create a seal, they are behind the teeth. How do they ...
1
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1answer
21 views
How does a sheep's fleece impact its tolerance for high temperatures?
I am interested in whether a sheep endures more stress when its environment is hot if it has a full fleece or if it is recently shorn. Put another way, at the extremes, is a sheep more likely to die ...
0
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1answer
67 views
Has a primate species ever weighed the average mass of a tonne (1000 kg)?
If so, why can't primates weight a metric ton?
0
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1answer
29 views
What coronaviruses have been identified in racoon dogs?
Christian Dorsten says in an (Apr 26) interview in the Guardian that racoon dogs as [intermediate] source of coronavirues have been overlooked (in China):
Q: What do we know about that intermediate ...
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1answer
25 views
In north America is their mammals that can survive from falling from hundreds of feet? [closed]
Like animals have great attributes but is their any mammals that have unique attributes to survive such fate of death?
0
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0answers
15 views
Why do flexor and extensor group of lower limb attach on opposite sides in forelimb of mammals?
The flexor and extensor group of the forearm attach on the medial and lateral condyle of the ulna respectively. What is the evolutionary explanation for that? Selected for to favour internal and ...
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2answers
114 views
Why animals haven’t yet evolve in 2020? [closed]
In past when I was born like 1990s I notice most animals haven’t evolved in 30yrs. Example cats haven’t gain more muscular body as to be strong to defend themselves from predators like well many ...
5
votes
1answer
134 views
Did my wildlife camera take pictures of coyotes?
A wildlife camera took these photographs of these animals. These are the only pictures my camera collected of them. This picture was taken in the central interior of British Columbia, Canada. The ...
0
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2answers
482 views
Like Mother Cape Buffalo,do remaining mammal mother species also try to protect their babies from being eaten by predative animals?
Some statistics say that on earth there are approximately 5500 mammal species.I have seen a video of Mother Cape Buffalo protecting it's calf from being eaten by predative animals.Like Mother Cape ...
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0answers
47 views
Why do some mammals have incomplete orbits?
I've noticed that a lot of carnivorous/omnivorous mammals (most, if not all the members of carnivora and some ancestral cetaceans), as well as some herbivores (marsupials), have incomplete orbits that ...
3
votes
1answer
39 views
Why are Aardvarks capable of burrowing given their size?
I was wondering if large animals could possibly dig extensive burrows for themselves to live in. The polar bear burrows, but snow is not dirt. The aardvark goes about 4' long, ~150 lbs: similar to a ...
1
vote
1answer
86 views
Why are smaller mammals more prone to cancer and tumors
especially rats and mice usually develop cancer and tumors very fast, reducing their life expectancy.
From an evolutionary point of view, how come that these mammals are so prone to cancer and tumors ...
7
votes
1answer
129 views
Are there any animals that are unable to hear the human voice?
Humans and animals have different hearing ranges. The frequency range of a human, for example, is stated with 20 Hz to 20 kHz, whereas the fundamental voice frequency is stated with 125 Hz for men, ...
2
votes
2answers
139 views
Did any warm blooded animals evolve back into cold blooded?
Pretty much as title says - wondering if evolution can go from mammal back to reptile - either in theory or practice.
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0answers
47 views
Eagles carrying off a goat to its nest: How heavy is the young goat? How strong is the eagle? Here is my guess:
I posted a related question, here, trying to identify the exact subspecies of animals. In the documentary El Hombre y la Tierra, a golden eagle carries off some sort of juvenile(?) goat.
The Japanese ...
2
votes
1answer
119 views
What pigment is responsible for the formation of blue skin color in some animals?
Not long ago I read about Vervet monkey. Here's picture:
My question is what causes this blue coloration of the scrotum? I don't mean evolutionary need (e.g. attracting females), but what pigment or ...
4
votes
0answers
37 views
Why is there such a long interval between ages of sexual maturity and of reproduction in female chimpanzees?
There seems to be some disagreement on the ages at which female chimpanzees typically reach sexual maturity and when they typically first give birth, but regardless, different sources seem to agree ...
2
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0answers
68 views
Do animals like Seals feel cold on their skin?
Whenever there is a documentary about animals and you get to the colder regions, you will hear about Seals and their layer of blubber keeping them warm.
But the skin is on top of the blubber, in ...
2
votes
0answers
50 views
What kind of skull is this-I found it on the beach in Cape May
I am hoping someone can help identify this skull! We found it on the beach in Cape May. The skull size is about 4 inch in length. Thank you.
0
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0answers
20 views
Age until physical growth ceases, mammals
Fairly basic, but I am seeking a table showing how many years from birth it takes for the best-known mammals to stop growing. (Including the latest on humans - ie. 0-17..?).
1
vote
1answer
137 views
What are the differences between mammal and insect digestion of cellulose?
I know that digestion of cellulose is difficult in mammals and requires a lot of steps. But I am fascinated by the idea of one day achieving human digestion of cellulose.
Which got me thinking about ...
1
vote
1answer
214 views
Do male skunks have teats?
Simple question. Do male skunks (striped skunk, eastern US/Canada if it matters) have teats? Occasionally want to identify road-kill, but don't know if teats are diagnostic for females. I believe ...
0
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0answers
54 views
Mammal Statistics about Natural Death Versus Being Killed?
Is there data determining what percentage of mammals die a natural death (disease, old age) and what percentage die due to being killed and/or eaten by other mammals?
In watching wildlife ...
2
votes
1answer
77 views
What about this bat?
This happened in LaGrange GA. We heard some crawling around behind one of the faux-wood shutters on our front porch. So I eased it back and saw this:
If you can't make out the scale, the furry part ...
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0answers
34 views
Are there poisons that affect only mammals but not reptiles
Are there poisons that affect only mammals but not reptiles or crustaceans?
E.g. hemotoxins which affect hemoglobin but not hemocyanin or specific Na+ channels?
Looking for a "nice" poison/disease as ...
1
vote
1answer
99 views
How exactly does symbolic language for apes work?
I'm talking about the panels with lots of colored symbols on them you sometimes see in documentaries and the like. Apes point at the symbols in a specific order and in this way can communicate with ...
0
votes
1answer
38 views
Limbs in synapsids
Within synapsids, there was a change from a lizard-like sprawling posture (like in pelycosaurs) to a more erect stance. Non-eucynodont eutherapsids seem to have had a facultatively erect hindlimb and ...
4
votes
1answer
81 views
How are the first mammary glands thought to have functioned?
I happened upon a book (not about biology) containing this text:
A life-changing birth occurred on the planet about 190 million years ago [...] the first tiny shrew like creature brought forth an ...
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2answers
155 views
Why aren't mammals and reptiles considered amphibians?
We've all heard it: birds descend from dinosaurs, so they're dinosaurs too. But this got me thinking: doesn't this mean that, for instance, all terrestrial vertebrates – including humans – are ...
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1answer
196 views
Why do some animals have beards?
Why do some animals such as some Goats, Ibex, Orangutan etc, have long well-shaped beard like men?
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1answer
88 views
Are there known life expectancy differences in non human mammals by sex?
In humans either for biological or cultural reasons there are life expectancy differences by sex. But how about non human mammals? Are there known life expectancy differences in non human mammals by ...
3
votes
0answers
43 views
What do chimpz/bonobos/orangutangs/gorillas feed their babies with?
I just read this question and it made me curious about what a more original baby diet would look like. So, at what age do our closest relatives in the animal kingdom start giving their offspring more ...
3
votes
0answers
208 views
Which mammal produces the most milk?
I'm searching for the mammal species that can produce the most milk during lactation. I Googled it, but it says dairy cattle which biologically speaking is not right answer, because a baby whale can ...
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0answers
83 views
Are humans the only primates being engaged in group sex?
There are quite many examples of humans being involved in group sex. I won't say it is a common thing and won't say whether it is "natural" or "cultural" (but "cultural" only means induced to majority ...
3
votes
0answers
261 views
How old is the action of sneezing?
Is there an estimate for when the ability of sneezing evolved? A little bit of research, and some critical review of my memories tell me that:
Many, if not maybe all mammals sneeze.
Some reptiles ...
19
votes
2answers
5k views
Why is wombat excreta shaped like cubes?
I've heard that wombat excreta is cube shaped, but I don't understand how that can happen. Has anyone studied the phenomenon? What would the evolutionary pressure have been to cause this?
2
votes
1answer
310 views
Are bears related to dogs in a similar way to how cats are related to 'panthers'?
I've tried searching on Wikipedia but I couldn't find what family dogs belonged to. Ursidae is 'bears' and Canis is 'dogs' ; Panthera is big cats like:- tigers and jaguars is what I know.
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1answer
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Is there any known reason why 6 leg mammals are only found in mutations? [duplicate]
Taking a look in internet you can find photos of mutated mammals with 6 legs. Some cows with legs in unnatural positions were shown in website versions of widely known newspapers (you can easily guess ...
0
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3answers
85 views
Could a mammal convert ingested dissolved CO2 to usable energy?
I'm trying to find out if it's possible that a mammal could orally ingest dissolved CO2 and convert it to energy for body heat, organ function, etc.
Unfortunately, most of the scientific sources I've ...
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0answers
102 views
How “unique” human vagina is?
Regading penis Dixson showed that it is not really unique and complex. This argument (and there were some others) was used against the idea of human polygynandry.
But what about vaginal shape? I know ...
4
votes
1answer
106 views
How does the bear mother ensure her cubs don't escape during hibernation?
I have some questions relating to bears- more specifically, the brown bears we have in Scandinavia.
When they go into hibernation, do they fall asleep as we know falling asleep? If a bear mother ...
2
votes
0answers
87 views
What is the closest relative to odd-toed ungulate?
I have seen about 3 variation of phylogenetic tree about odd-toed ungulate and I don't know which one is really updated or outdated or which one have more backed up theory
First is odd-toed ungulate ...
4
votes
0answers
43 views
What do groundhogs and other subsurface-tunnel dwelling creatures do in heavy rains to avoid harm?
I notice groundhogs and many other tunneling creatures in my yard, the same yard which became pretty flooded during heavy rainfall. I don't see wildlife out during rain storms, but not long after, ...
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0answers
19 views
Is there any data to explore the heterozygosity of the South African lion over the last 18 years?
Background:
I need to find data on the heterozygosity of the south African lion over the last 18 years... and I'm struggling: so far I have found a single data point.
Question:
Where can I find ...
2
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0answers
32 views
Do marsupials ever die in childbirth?
Question: Do marsupials ever die in childbirth?
Obviously the notion of there being a linear ordering of "least advanced" to "most advanced" life forms isn't correct. Still, often marsupials are ...
8
votes
1answer
447 views
Identify this vertebra
I was walking on the beach in New Jersey (U.S.), at about 40 degrees longitude, and found this bone. It's not a fish. The long process in the front is interesting. It is likely a C2 vertebra. I looked ...
