113.IS THE WHALE THE ONLY SEA MAMMAL?
A mammal is a warm-blooded animal whose young are born alive and fed with mother’s milk. Strangely enough, there are quite a few creatures who live in the sea who are mammals.
A zoologist groups these creatures under the name “Cetaceans.” They include the whales, the porpoises, and the dolphins. By studying their skeletons and other parts, we can determine that the ancestors of these animals lived on land in very ancient times.
112.IS THE PORPOISE A MAMMAL?
It is hard to believe that the porpoise is not a fish, but a mammal. Yet it is just as much a mammal as the cow in the fields. Porpoises, dolphins and whales form the order called “Cetacea” of the group of aquatic mammals.
Actually, dolphins belong to the whale family and porpoises are a variety of dolphins. All these animals may be given the general name of whales, or cetaceans.
111.HOW LONG HAVE CATS BEEN PETS?
When most people say “Cat,” they are thinking of the small, domestic cat. But the cat family is really quite an amazing one, and includes leopards, lions, tigers, and jaguars!
All cats, large or small, have the same general proportions of body, and the same food habits. All cats are meat eaters and kill their own food. Depending on the size of the cat, this food ranges from small mice and birds up to large zebras, deer, antelope, and cattle.
