Mammal

Plot

Follow up to the award-winning Eyewitness Video series. From kangaroos to dolphins to bats to humans there are over 4,000 species of mammals, but before viewing the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Video: MAMMAL could you correctly identify all the characteristics that make us a family? We are a rare exception without fur, so looking at ourselves might not be the best way to define all mammal traits. Mammals are warm-blooded, have a single lower jawbone, our offspring usually grow inside the mother and females feed their young with milk produced from the mammary gland-hence our name. As we learn in this half-hour video, the first very mammals were shrew-like creatures who lived in the shadow of the dinosaurs. With fascinating footage of a wide array of mammals filmed in their natural habitats, and the latest in computer graphics and animation, Mammal uses the gestation period of different species as a narrative starting point. Mice are the fastest with a conception to birth period of three weeks, elephants are the slowest with 20 months. This device allows us to accurately see how many generations of mice, cats, humans, and others can generate within the elephant's gestation period. In addition, other characteristics are explored such as senses (including the bats' sonar), diet, anatomy, defenses, and social groupings. Some animals, like the duck-billed platypus, appear confused- they have a beak, fins, and lay eggs- but are mammals as they suckle their young. In fact, suckling comes naturally to all mammal offspring. Mammals are infinitely adaptable and are found almost everywhere on the planet, thanks to a coat of fur or a thick layer of blubber. The "naked ape," or man, has to take its coat from the hide of others. Packed full with amazing details, this video will give students a true appreciation for the wider family he lives in. Mammals may be few in number compared to insects, fish and amphibians, but our contribution to and affect on the planet has been by far the greatest.