Licking is the action of passing the tongue over a surface, typically either to deposit saliva onto the surface, or to collect liquid, food or minerals onto the tongue for ingestion , or to communicate with other animals . Many animals both groom themselves , eat or drink by licking.
37-404: Grooming: Animals commonly clean themselves through licking. In mammals , licking helps keep the fur clean and untangled. The tongues of many mammals have a rough upper surface that acts like a brush when the animal licks its fur. Certain reptiles, such as geckos , clean their eyes by licking them. Mammals typically lick their offspring clean immediately after birth ; in many species this
74-399: A lick granuloma . The most common cause of lick granuloma appears to be psychological, related to stress, anxiety, separation anxiety , boredom, or compulsiveness. Lick granulomae are especially seen in active dogs left alone for long periods of time. One theory is that excessive licking causes endorphin release, which reduces pain and makes the dog feel temporarily euphoric . This provides
111-415: A piston and cylinder arrangement, or dynamic , as in the case of a vacuum cleaner when air flow results in a reduced pressure region. When animals breathe, the diaphragm and muscles around the rib cage cause a change of volume in the lungs. The increased volume of the chest cavity decreases the pressure inside, creating an imbalance with the ambient air pressure, resulting in suction. Similarly, when
148-716: A fingertip (usually the one of the index finger ) for some extra grip when turning a page, taking a sheet of paper from the top of a pile or opening a plastic bag. In sewing , thread ends are commonly wet by licking to make the fibres stick together and thus make threading them through the eye of a needle easier. Another practice considered uncivilized is licking one's hand and using it to groom one's hair. Humans also use their tongues for sexual purposes, such as during cunnilingus , anilingus , fellatio , breast licking, foot licking , and whilst French kissing , where two people lick each other's tongues. Self-licking can sometimes become abnormally frequent occasionally resulting in
185-488: A means of collective grooming and of reinforcing social cohesion within the community. Macaques and other primates lick leaves for water in addition to dipping their arms into tree crevices and licking the water off. Chimpanzees use licking in a variety of ways: licking objects, such as dead trees, that others in their community have licked, licking each other's body parts for grooming and sex and licking rocks for salt. Gorillas use licking in addition to other senses to determine
222-412: A rainstorm to dry them by licking water droplets from the coats of the chicks to avoid them chilling. Many animals drink by licking. While young mammals drink milk from their mothers' teats by sucking , the typical method of drinking for adult mammals involves dipping the tongue repeatedly into water and using it to scoop water into the mouth. This method of drinking relies in part on the water adhering to
259-433: A straw is used to suck a liquid into the mouth, the atmospheric pressure pushes the liquid through the straw along the pressure gradient. A common semantic mistake is made when in case of accidents with spaceships or aircraft in which objects are blown out of the vessel in the case of an uncontrolled decompression which is often wrongly referred to as objects being sucked out. This fluid dynamics –related article
296-498: Is considered improper table manners to clean one's fingers by licking during a meal. Some people in the Afar tribe of Ethiopia have been reported to have used their tongues to lick other humans, as a way of cleaning them from the dust that accumulates on them in a very water-scarce region. Humans use licking for a number of other purposes. For example, licking can moisten the adhesive surfaces of stamps or envelopes . Many people lick
333-494: Is in places which they cannot reach with their own mouth. The presence of sweat glands all over the human body makes licking as a cooling method unnecessary. Nonetheless, licking does play a role for humans. Even though humans cannot effectively drink water by licking, the human tongue is quite sufficient for licking more viscous fluids. Some foods are sold in a form intended to be consumed mainly by licking, e.g. ice cream cones and lollipops . Though useful, in some cultures it
370-558: Is necessary to free the newborn from the amniotic sac . The licking not only cleans and dries the offspring's fur, but also stimulates its breathing and digestive processes. Canids also stimulate their pups to urinate by licking their preputial gland secretions. Food and water acquisition: Hummingbirds are often said to "sip" nectar, but in fact they lap up nectar on their long tongues. Their tongues have fringed edges, which help both in nectar-eating and in catching tiny insects. Mother hummingbirds also lick their chicks after
407-572: Is primarily driven by human poaching and habitat destruction , primarily deforestation . Over 70% of mammal species are in the orders Rodentia , Chiroptera , and Eulipotyphla . Mammal classification has been through several revisions since Carl Linnaeus initially defined the class, and at present , no classification system is universally accepted. McKenna & Bell (1997) and Wilson & Reeder (2005) provide useful recent compendiums. Simpson (1945) provides systematics of mammal origins and relationships that had been taught universally until
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#1732844299539444-426: Is the viviparous placental mammals , so named for the temporary organ ( placenta ) used by offspring to draw nutrition from the mother during gestation . Most mammals are intelligent , with some possessing large brains, self-awareness , and tool use . Mammals can communicate and vocalize in several ways, including the production of ultrasound , scent marking , alarm signals , singing , echolocation ; and, in
481-406: Is the day-to-day term for forces experienced by objects that are exposed to the movement of gases or liquids moving along a pressure gradient. Contrary to popular belief, however, the forces acting in this case do not originate from the lower pressure side (the vacuum), but from the side of the higher pressure. When the pressure in one part of a physical system is reduced relative to another,
518-467: The Cretaceous . The relationships between these three lineages is contentious, and all three possible hypotheses have been proposed with respect to which group is basal . These hypotheses are Atlantogenata (basal Boreoeutheria), Epitheria (basal Xenarthra) and Exafroplacentalia (basal Afrotheria). Boreoeutheria in turn contains two major lineages— Euarchontoglires and Laurasiatheria . Estimates for
555-550: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) completed a five-year Global Mammal Assessment for its IUCN Red List , which counted 5,488 species. According to research published in the Journal of Mammalogy in 2018, the number of recognized mammal species is 6,495, including 96 recently extinct. The word " mammal " is modern, from the scientific name Mammalia coined by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, derived from
592-547: The Latin mamma ("teat, pap"). In an influential 1988 paper, Timothy Rowe defined Mammalia phylogenetically as the crown group of mammals, the clade consisting of the most recent common ancestor of living monotremes ( echidnas and platypuses ) and therian mammals ( marsupials and placentals ) and all descendants of that ancestor. Since this ancestor lived in the Jurassic period, Rowe's definition excludes all animals from
629-590: The biological classification scheme used, are the primates : apes , monkeys , and lemurs ; the Cetartiodactyla : whales and even-toed ungulates ; and the Carnivora which includes cats , dogs , weasels , bears , seals , and allies. According to Mammal Species of the World , 5,416 species were identified in 2006. These were grouped into 1,229 genera , 153 families and 29 orders. In 2008,
666-638: The class Mammalia ( / m ə ˈ m eɪ l i . ə / ). Mammals are characterized by the presence of milk -producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair , and three middle ear bones . These characteristics distinguish them from reptiles and birds , from which their ancestors diverged in the Carboniferous Period over 300 million years ago. Around 6,400 extant species of mammals have been described and divided into 27 orders . The largest orders of mammals, by number of species , are
703-406: The dominant terrestrial animal group from 66 million years ago to the present. The basic mammalian body type is quadrupedal , with most mammals using four limbs for terrestrial locomotion ; but in some, the limbs are adapted for life at sea , in the air , in trees or underground . The bipeds have adapted to move using only the two lower limbs, while the rear limbs of cetaceans and
740-427: The fluid or gas in the higher pressure region will exert a force relative to the region of lowered pressure, referred to as pressure-gradient force . If all gas or fluid is removed the result is a perfect vacuum in which the pressure is zero. Hence, no negative pressure forces can be generated. Accordingly, from a physics point of view, the objects are not sucked but pushed. Pressure reduction may be static , as in
777-428: The rodents , bats , and Eulipotyphla (including hedgehogs , moles and shrews ). The next three are the primates (including humans , monkeys and lemurs ), the even-toed ungulates (including pigs , camels , and whales ), and the Carnivora (including cats , dogs , and seals ). Mammals are the only living members of Synapsida ; this clade , together with Sauropsida (reptiles and birds), constitutes
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#1732844299539814-439: The sea cows are mere internal vestiges . Mammals range in size from the 30–40 millimetres (1.2–1.6 in) bumblebee bat to the 30 metres (98 ft) blue whale —possibly the largest animal to have ever lived. Maximum lifespan varies from two years for the shrew to 211 years for the bowhead whale . All modern mammals give birth to live young, except the five species of monotremes , which lay eggs. The most species-rich group
851-458: The air, ground, and water, analyzing the chemicals found, and determining the presence of prey or predators in the local environment. Communication: Dogs and cats use licking both to clean and to show affection among themselves or to humans, typically licking their faces. Many animals use licking as a submissive or appeasement signal in dominance hierarchies . Thermoregulation: Some animals use licking to cool themselves. Cats do not sweat
888-422: The animal with positive feedback from the licking, and subsequent addiction to the behaviour. Animals in captivity sometimes develop a licking stereotypy during which surfaces (walls, bars, gates, etc.) are repeatedly licked for no apparent reason. This has been observed in captive giraffes and camels. Mammal A mammal (from Latin mamma 'breast') is a vertebrate animal of
925-483: The case of humans, complex language . Mammals can organize themselves into fission–fusion societies , harems , and hierarchies —but can also be solitary and territorial . Most mammals are polygynous , but some can be monogamous or polyandrous . Domestication of many types of mammals by humans played a major role in the Neolithic Revolution , and resulted in farming replacing hunting and gathering as
962-807: The clade originating with the last common ancestor of Sinoconodon and living mammals. The earliest-known synapsid satisfying Kemp's definitions is Tikitherium , dated 225 Ma , so the appearance of mammals in this broader sense can be given this Late Triassic date. However, this animal may have actually evolved during the Neogene. As of the early 21st century, molecular studies based on DNA analysis have suggested new relationships among mammal families. Most of these findings have been independently validated by retrotransposon presence/absence data . Classification systems based on molecular studies reveal three major groups or lineages of placental mammals— Afrotheria , Xenarthra and Boreoeutheria —which diverged in
999-444: The closest thing to an official classification of mammals, despite its known issues. Most mammals, including the six most species-rich orders , belong to the placental group. The three largest orders in numbers of species are Rodentia : mice , rats , porcupines , beavers , capybaras , and other gnawing mammals; Chiroptera : bats; and Eulipotyphla : shrews , moles , and solenodons . The next three biggest orders, depending on
1036-1304: The divergence times between these three placental groups range from 105 to 120 million years ago, depending on the type of DNA used (such as nuclear or mitochondrial ) and varying interpretations of paleogeographic data. Monotremata Marsupialia Xenarthra Afrotheria Glires Euarchonta [REDACTED] Eulipotyphla Chiroptera Pholidota Carnivora [REDACTED] Perissodactyla [REDACTED] Artiodactyla [REDACTED] Monotremata [REDACTED] Paucituberculata [REDACTED] Didelphimorphia [REDACTED] Microbiotheria Notoryctemorphia [REDACTED] Peramelemorphia [REDACTED] Dasyuromorphia [REDACTED] Diprotodontia [REDACTED] Cingulata [REDACTED] Pilosa [REDACTED] Hyracoidea [REDACTED] Sirenia [REDACTED] Proboscidea [REDACTED] Tubulidentata [REDACTED] Macroscelidea [REDACTED] Afrosoricida [REDACTED] Eulipotyphla [REDACTED] Chiroptera [REDACTED] Pholidota [REDACTED] Carnivora [REDACTED] Perissodactyla [REDACTED] Artiodactyla [REDACTED] Scandentia [REDACTED] Lagomorpha [REDACTED] Suction Suction
1073-574: The earlier Triassic , despite the fact that Triassic fossils in the Haramiyida have been referred to the Mammalia since the mid-19th century. If Mammalia is considered as the crown group, its origin can be roughly dated as the first known appearance of animals more closely related to some extant mammals than to others. Ambondro is more closely related to monotremes than to therian mammals while Amphilestes and Amphitherium are more closely related to
1110-451: The end of the 20th century. However, since 1945, a large amount of new and more detailed information has gradually been found: The paleontological record has been recalibrated, and the intervening years have seen much debate and progress concerning the theoretical underpinnings of systematization itself, partly through the new concept of cladistics . Though fieldwork and lab work progressively outdated Simpson's classification, it remains
1147-645: The larger Amniota clade. Early synapsids are referred to as " pelycosaurs ." The more advanced therapsids became dominant during the Guadalupian . Mammals originated from cynodonts , an advanced group of therapsids, during the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic . Mammals achieved their modern diversity in the Paleogene and Neogene periods of the Cenozoic era, after the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs , and have been
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1184-415: The nature of an object. Compared to most other mammals, licking has a minor role for humans . The human tongue is relatively short and inflexible, and is not well adapted for either grooming or drinking. Instead, humans prefer to wash themselves using their hands and drink by sucking or pouring fluid into their mouth. Humans have much less hair over their skin than most other mammals, and much of that hair
1221-444: The olfactory receptors in the nose and in some animals, to the vomeronasal organ . In some mammals, the tongue is used to "lick" the air during the flehmen response to assist transfer of pheremones . Similarly, snakes use smell to track their prey. They smell by using their forked tongues to collect airborne particles, then passing them to the vomeronasal organ. They keep their tongues constantly in motion, sampling particles from
1258-716: The primary source of food for humans. This led to a major restructuring of human societies from nomadic to sedentary, with more co-operation among larger and larger groups, and ultimately the development of the first civilizations . Domesticated mammals provided, and continue to provide, power for transport and agriculture, as well as food ( meat and dairy products ), fur , and leather . Mammals are also hunted and raced for sport, kept as pets and working animals of various types, and are used as model organisms in science. Mammals have been depicted in art since Paleolithic times, and appear in literature, film, mythology, and religion. Decline in numbers and extinction of many mammals
1295-402: The surface of the tongue and in part on muscular control of the tongue to form it into a spoonlike shape. Cattle, horses and other animals lick rocks, salt licks or other objects to obtain mineral nutrients. Gustation: Animals also use their tongues to enhance their sense of smell . By licking a surface or extending the tongue beyond the mouth, molecules are transferred via the tongue to
1332-537: The therians; as fossils of all three genera are dated about 167 million years ago in the Middle Jurassic , this is a reasonable estimate for the appearance of the crown group. T. S. Kemp has provided a more traditional definition: " Synapsids that possess a dentary – squamosal jaw articulation and occlusion between upper and lower molars with a transverse component to the movement" or, equivalently in Kemp's view,
1369-548: The way humans do and the saliva deposited by licking provides a similar means of evaporative cooling . Some animals spread saliva over areas of the body with little or no fur to maximise heat loss. For example, kangaroos lick their wrists and rats lick their testicles. Mating behavior: Male mammals often lick the genitals of females before copulation . Post-copulatory genital grooming often occurs in male rats and prosimian primates. This behavior may prevent disease transmission. Ring-tailed lemurs lick each other's babies as
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