9781422283455

Mammals take many different shapes. People are mammals—as are whales, elephants, and mice. Though we are all very different, there are a few traits we all have in common (like hair). And together, we make up of one of the main groups of animals on Earth today.

The mammal group includes many weird and wonderful creatures. Scaly armadillos, spiky porcupines, long-nosed tapirs, and night-loving bats are all part of this family of animals. There are about 4,000 different kinds of mammals. Mammals vary a lot in size. Blue whales are the largest mammals. It weighs 25 times as much as the largest land mammal, the African elephant. The hefty elephant weighs as much as 100 adult people. The world’s smallest mammal is Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, which is the size of a bumblebee!

Some mammals, such as this beluga whale, spend their whole lives in water. 7

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