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Not all mammals give birth to their young. Why?

In: Mammals [Edit categories]

Answer:

Quite simply, there are three species of mammals which lay eggs rather than giving birth to live young. These are the platypus, the short-beaked achidna and the long-beaked echidna. These mammals are still classified as mammals because they have fur, breathe using lungs and feed their young on mothers' milk. The last characteristic is the defining characteristic of all mammals, regardless of whether they are placental mammals, marsupials or monotremes (egg-laying mammals).

First answer by Chaujie328. Last edit by On the Wallaby. Contributor trust: 2778 [recommend contributor ]. Question popularity: 8 [recommend question].

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Relevant answers:

Do mammals give birth to their young?
Yes - mostly.All but two types of mammals give birth to live young. The exceptions are the platypus and the echidna.
Does all mammals give birth?
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Do all mammals give birth to young?
For the most part, yes. But there is one mammal called the platypus that lays it's eggs
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