Line Symmetry and Mammals

What is a Mammal?

 Mammals are warm-blooded animals with backbones. They have a coat of fur or hair to protect them from the cold. This type of animal give birth to live young and feed their babies milk made by the mother.

 Zebras, tigers, cows, dogs, cats, mice, apes and humans are just a few examples of mammals.

What he Ninjas (and Zebra) Say:

Ninja 1 – Symmetrical ears mean animals can hear well
Zebra – Having two of a body part means if I break or lose one I have another to rely on.
Ninja 2 – Symmetrical eyes mean animals can see well.

Why Do Animals Have Symmetry? 

 Like most other animals mentioned on this site, mammals have symmetry to help them survive. Symmetry helps them move well to catch prey, defend themselves and run away if they need to.

Three More Reasons Animals Have Symmetry

All the Better to See You With – Symmetry of Eyes

 Many animals have eyes that face forward and others have eyes that face to the side. When eyes face forward both eyes see the same thing but from a slightly different angle. This gives the brain enough information to have the animal see in 3D.

Animals with eyes on the sides of their head see differently. They can see everything in front and to the side of them. This is great for seeing predators sneaking up on them.

All the Better to Hear You With – Symmetry of Ears 

Ear shape helps with hearing far away sound so having two the same shape makes sense. Ears being placed symmetrically means the animal can tell what direction a sound is coming from. This also has its advantages when hunting prey or knowing the direction a predator is coming from.

If One Breaks or Falls Off – Symmetry for Redundancy

 Nature gives animals two of many body parts. This way, if one gets cut off, damaged or stops working, the animal can continue to function and live.