MAMMALS (R-Z)Mental Muscle: When it comes to brain power, mammals have an edge over all other animals. They have an additional part of the brain called the neocortex, which is involved in higher functions such as conscious thought and spatial reasoning. Mammals' capacity for learning, and their ability to adapt their own behavior, are exceptional; in fact, they are the primary reasons why mammals became the dominant animal class after the death of the dinosaurs. Learning, whether it be from parental training or real-world experience — and being able to react to one's environment based on that learning — gives mammals significant advantages over animals that rely on genetic programming alone.
Mammals Great and Small: So long dinosaurs! Most of today's largest animals are mammals, including the largest animal that has ever lived: the blue whale. This impressive creature can reach 110 feet in length and weigh over 200 tons. Its tongue alone weighs as much as a female hippopotamus, and when fully expanded its mouth can hold around 100 tons of water and food. In contrast, the world's lightest mammal is the Etruscan shrew, which weighs less than half a shot of tequila. The shortest mammal is the bumblee bat of Southeast Asia, which is less than an inch and a half in length.
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