mammalian
mammalian — adjective
- mammalianpositive
- more mammaliancomparative
- most mammaliansuperlative
1. relating to the biological group of animals whose bodies stay warm, are covered
relating to the biological group of animals whose bodies stay warm, are covered with hair, and whose mothers feed their babies with milk produced inside the body.
The biology class studied a mammalian heart by comparing it with a sheep's heart.
mammalian + body-part noun (heart)
Camila took a course in mammalian anatomy to prepare for veterinary school.
mammalian + academic-field noun (anatomy)
All mammalian mothers produce milk for their newborn babies through special glands.
The fossil shows clear mammalian features such as a single jawbone and three inner-ear bones.
Eliska's research focuses on how mammalian brains process visual information.
Unlike reptiles, mammalian bodies can keep a steady internal temperature even in cold weather.
- mammal-like
less formal; used when comparing anatomy rather than classifying
- therian
technical term for live-bearing mammals, excludes egg-laying monotremes
文法句型
mammalian + noun
用法筆記
Typically used before a noun to describe a feature, organ, or behaviour that relates to mammals as a group. Less common in everyday speech — most speakers use 'mammal' as a noun instead.
常見錯誤
mammalian — noun
1. a warm-blooded animal that has hair or fur, gives birth to live young (except fo
a warm-blooded animal that has hair or fur, gives birth to live young (except for a small group that lay eggs), and feeds its babies on milk produced by the mother.
The class Mammalia includes over five thousand living species of mammalian on Earth.
countable plural: mammalian(s)
Lien compared a reptile skull with an early mammalian skull from the same rock layer.
early mammalian — fossil context
The zoo's new exhibit features small mammalia like bats, shrews, and sugar gliders.
Obi studied how ancient mammalia survived the mass extinction sixty-six million years ago.
Takeshi noted that the platypus is an unusual mammalian — it lays eggs rather than giving birth to live young.
文法句型
the + mammalian(s)
a mammalian
用法筆記
Much less common than the ordinary noun 'mammal'. Used mainly in formal scientific writing (zoology textbooks, palaeontology papers) or when contrasting mammals with other taxonomic classes. Plural form 'mammalians' may also appear as 'mammalia' (from the Latin class name).