Mammals vs Animals
When someone is asked to name some animals, most will list the names of mammals. That is because mammals are amongst the closest animals for humans. However, there are much more types of animals than mammals on the earth. Therefore, the distinguishing characteristics of mammals from other animals are very important to know.
Mammals
Mammals (Class: Mammalia) are one of the warm-blooded vertebrates other than the birds. They are the most developed and evolved animals and the Class: Mammalia includes more than 4250 described extant species. It is a small number compared to the total number of species in the world, which is around 30 million as of the most respected estimations; it is only a fraction of a percent value. However, these small-numbered mammals have conquered the whole world with dominance, with great adaptations according to the ever changing Earth.
One characteristic about mammals is the presence of hair all over the skin of the body. The most discussed and most interesting feature is the milk-producing mammary glands of females to nourish the newborns. However, males also possess mammary glands, which are not functional and do not produce milk. During the gestation period, the placental mammals possess a placenta, which nourishes the foetal stages.
Mammals have a closed circularity system with a sophisticated four-chambered heart. Except in bats, the internal skeleton system is heavy and strong to provide muscle attaching surfaces and a firm stature for the whole body. The presence of sweat glands over the body is another unique mammalian feature that separates them from all other animal groups. Larynx is the organ that produces vocal sounds in mammals, and that is capable of producing a number of sounds in different pitches, and it make some special animals viz. humans and birds capable of singing.
Animals
Animals are of many types and most importantly there are about 30 million species according to the fairest of the predictions, and it could only be more than that value but not less. Animals are morphologically and anatomically very different from each other. Interestingly, the physiology is not varied as much as the other aspects of biology have been among animals. There are animals with or without limbs, wings, eyes, central hearts, lungs, gills, and many other organs and systems. Their body sizes can vary from a tiny little unicellular animal to a giant blue whale or an elephant. Animals have naturally conquered every ecosystem in the world showing wonderful adaptations to each respective habitat anatomically, physiologically, and sometimes, mentally.
Animals have been able to survive through all the eras came by after the origin of life on Earth. The Earth is an ever changing place when it is viewed from the geological timescale with floods, droughts, cold, heat, sunlight, and all the other environmental factors emerged and dominated in different times. According to the situations, some animals had to evolve and adapted for their survival, but others died and became extinct. Depending on demand from the existing environment, or technically the ecosystem, the animals developed their preferences with appropriate devises or organs and trying to sustain for a long time.
What is the difference between Mammals and Animals?
• Animals could be either ectothermic or endothermic, but mammals are always endothermic.
• Only mammals have hairs on the skin out of all the animals.
• Only mammals have mammary glands and sweat glands out of all the animals.
• The most sophisticated heart and the circulatory system are present in mammals out of all the animals.
• Mammals have more complex living habits (e.g. human) than other animals.
• Number of mammals is only a fraction compared to the rest of the number of animals.
• Some mammals are capable of singing, but other animals are not.