Writing Prompt: Would you rather adopt a bird or a mammal? Use evidence from the text below (information provided by San Diego Zoo).
What Makes a Mammal?
There are more than 4,000 different species of mammals. The smallest is the hog-nosed bat, which weighs 0.05 ounces. The largest is the blue whale, which can be 100 feet long and weigh 150 tons. But whether they live on
and or water, all mammals share some common characteristics.
• Are vertebrates (which means they have a backbone or spine).
• Are endothermic. Also known as “warm-blooded,” endothermic animals regulate their own body temperate
which allows them to live in almost every climate on Earth.
• Have hair on their bodies.
• Produce milk to feed their babies. This allows them to spend more time with their young and teach them important skills they need to survive on their own.
What Makes a Bird?
Birds are the only animals that have feathers, which are made of keratin, just like your hair and fingernails. A bird’s wings have the same bones as a human arm, but they are arranged differently. Some of the bones in a bird’s skeleton are hollow. This makes the bird light enough to fly. There are more than 9,800 known types of birds. They range in size from the bee hummingbird (2 ¼ inches long) to the 9-foot-tall ostrich.
• Are vertebrates (which means they have a backbone or spine)
• Are endothermic. Also known as “warm-blooded,” endothermic animals regulate their own body temperature which allows them to live in almost every climate on earth.
• Lay eggs with hard, waterproof shells. The parent birds incubate the egss until they hatch, and care for their young.