Mammal Characteristics 

• All mammals are warm blooded, means they keep they body temperature constant - endothermic

• Most young are born alive, except the platypus and echidna

• They have hair or fur on their bodies.

• Every mammal is a vertebrate.

• All mammals have lungs to breathe air.

• Mammals feed milk to their babies, mammary glands which is why they are called mammals.

Classifying animals 

Animals are first separated into vertebrates and invertebrates - or animals with a backbone and those without.

The vertebrates are then divided into FIVE groups. 
Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles and Fish

Scientists classify living things into groups based on their characteristics - we sometimes change our minds as we learn more about these organisms

All living things are separated into the FIVE kingdoms.

ANIMALS are multicellular, get nutrition by eating, cells contain a nucleus and organelles carry out the different functions in the cell

PLANTS are also multicellular, carry out photosynthesis and have chloroplasts inside their cells. The cells also have a nucleus, cell walls made of cellulose and different organelles

FUNGI are multicellular (except yeast), usually feed on dead living things (saprophytic) or living things still alive (parasitic). The cells have a nucleus and cell walls without cellulose.

BACTERIA are unicellular, simple cells with no nucleus or organelles
PROTOCTISTA most are unicellular, complex cells

90929 outline

Achievement Standard 90929

Demonstrate understanding of biological ideas relating to a mammal as a consumer

External standard - 3 credits

The biological ideas relating to mammals as consumers will be selected from:

• related life process
• circulatory system - how food and oxygen is transported to every cell and waste products removed from each cell
• digestive system - organ system responsible breaking down food (molecules) so that it can be carried around the body by the circulatory system to the cells
• respiration - process which allows our cells to produce energy using glucose and oxygen
• structural components

• the alimentary canal, buccal cavity (mouth – including structure of a generalised tooth), salivary glands, oesophagus, stomach, duodenum, bile duct, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, pancreatic duct, ileum, caecum, appendix, colon, rectum, anus
• heart, vein, arteries and capillaries
• the functioning of the structural components
• compare the generalised digestive system of herbivores, omnivores and carnivores
• the overall functioning of the life process
• relate the processes of digestion, circulation and respiration to each other and to the overall survival of the organisms

Life process related to mammals as consumers will be selected from:

• Processing food
• physical digestion - teeth and stomach
• chemical digestion - enzyme action
• practical work related to digestive enzymes
• the effect of temp and pH on enzyme activity
• Absorption
• villus role and structure
• role of microvilli, capillary network and lacteal 
• Assimilation
• Egestion