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Well the easiest way to answer that is to figure out how happy you are (if we assume that ants are perfectly spherical mammals).

It seems different species of mammal are able to recognise that another animal is a baby/very young one, and react accordingly. We've seen exactly this from our cats when we had our first baby just over a year ago. We bred cats before hand so we're very accustomed to how cats react to their kittens, and they reacted in exactly the same way to our newborn's cries.

It's probably fair to say that the horse understands that the goat is young and playing and responds to that, rather than thinking it's being attacked. There's such a huge size difference that the horse wouldn't be feeling threatened or anything anyway. Animals like this do play. Horses like company and are social animals, as are goats. It's no surprise they'll play together when they can :0)

There is. Lactose intolerance is the norm for adult mammals. Humans who come from dairy-heavy cultural backgrounds are an exception.

This study focuses on humans, but it tells you this right in the abstract.

You're right that a tiny squirt of whipped cream isn't going to hurt, but I don't see the point in getting them interested in it in the first place. I wouldn't want to train them to seek out something that's going to make them sick if I'm not there to control portions.

I just want to reply to this bit. It's been proven that human beings (and mammals in general) alter their behavior when they are aware that they're being observed. That doesn't mean they all reject the dark side, but it's clear that for the vast majority, the fear of being caught doing something wrong is greater than whatever impetus there was to do wrong.

Body cams are good for cops and for civilians. It can prove they were right or they were wrong. Either way, the proof is there that wearing a body cam does alter a cop's behavior because they know they're being recorded.

Without a doubt, anyplace that has "installed" body cams on police officers has seen a vast reduction in abuse complaints.

I could provide many links but searching "police camera statistics" will get you plenty enough.

"The primary food for great blue heron is small fish, though it is also known to opportunistically feed on a wide range of shrimp, crabs, aquatic insects, rodents and other small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and small birds."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_blue_heron#Diet

I know, a cheap argumentative shot. I seldom cite others to prove a point, unless I first state facts, then give a link for collaboration.

I also apologize for jumping from an argument is support of the RLN to arguments in support of ID (par. 3 - 7), two related, but separate issues.

Regarding Kirk Cameron's banana fervor, I somewhat agree. I see design inferences where most others don't, including various synergistic relationships which are generally attributed to convergent evolution, but which I sometimes attribute to design, or in the case of change over time, re-design.

Most speciation events are simply naturally occurring adaptive alterations, to adapt to a changing environment. But more radical body-plan revisions, land mammal to aquatic cetacean for example, show signs of designer input, much of which could have been 'cut-and-try', rather than 'poof' style modifications. Thus, the uncovering of intermediates, and the lengthy time periods involved.

If it were done as a single nerve in a direct route, it would be subject to damage from a jerking head motion. This way, the slack (and bundling) adds protection to individual nerves. And again, it works just fine, in ALL mammals.

Let's coin a new term. How about 'stress relief'?

Another point. The heart is functional before it descends into an expanding chest cavity, taking ancillary nerves along for the ride.

And lastly, the evidence points to incremental phenotypic alterations along with some jumps here and there. The first is indicative of environmental adaptations, with possible genetic manipulations [ID] on occasion.

In fact, we ourselves are on the cusp of being able to alter phenotypic outcomes, by PCR, electrophoresis, and subsequent spicing to alter structures and codes. For our progress at this point, search 'genetic engineering'.

While not proof of prior gene altering to alter phenotypes, it is at least evidence that it can be done, while at this juncture, no substantiating evidence exists for random mutations, HGT, and genetic drift to radically alter body plans. Just for minor quantitative adaptive alterations [pigmentation, bone density, fur and hair content, metabolism rates, and yes, cephalic index, essentially brain size increases].

IOW, the evidence clearly points to both microevolution, a likely 'designed-in' function to aid in survival, as well as ID for radical re-designs, possibly by multiple intelligentsia over vast time. Google MDT for more on that possibility.

Hi Notarobot, your argument is unfortunately based on a very common misunderstanding of the chemistry of water and salt.

I can assure you that it is an established scientific fact that pure water has the highest heat capacity per unit of its mass compared to any water solutions. The less water there is in a water solution, the less heat capacity that solution has. This is because the temperature of pure water is more proportional to the amount of energy contained within it, which is due to the flexibility of its molecular structure. The more salt you add to water, the less structural flexibility (i.e. purity) there is to distribute and contain energy as the temperature increases. To put it another way, the salt molecules weigh down and restrict the water molecules from moving as freely, which is why salt water has a higher boiling point.

So in fact the more fresh water that is introduced to the oceans, the higher heat capacity and heat conduction there will be.

Furthermore, you grossly oversimplify the problem of climate change by assuming the only change that matters is immediately perceptible to "mammals like us". One of the biggest issues is that even slight variations in temperature can drastically change entire marine ecosystems. If enough ecosystems collapse, it will cause a chain reaction that will be very, very difficult to manage, let alone recover from. Also, even slight variations in salinity can drastically change ocean currents, which in turn affects not just marine ecosystems, but weather patterns throughout the world as well.

I can tell you're an intelligent person, so I hope you'll take me seriously when I say that it's very, very important for all intelligent people to be as diligent as possible when referring to the scientific causes and effects of climate change. Advocate whatever position you'd like as to how we should go about things, but please do your best to validate the information you're using to do so.

One of the results of a warming ocean is melting glaciers and ice caps. That is the addition of fresh water to a salt water system. There is more saltwater than freshwater in the world. One of the properties of salt water is that it conveys heat better than fresh water. The hot-water baseboard heater you use to heat your home would actually be more efficient if it used salt water. We don't use salt water in heaters because salt actually corrodes the metal pipes faster. What does this have to do with climate change? As you dilute the salt water that transfers heat from the warm equatorial waters of the world to the cooler waters in temperate zones, it gets less good at transferring that heat. This change happens very slowly to the perception of short lived mammals like us. In geologic terms, this is how we get to the next ice age.

Bats are awesome. they are also, atleast in europe, protected, and illegal to kill. Bat species make up 1/4 of all mammal species, the overwhelming majority of them are insectivores and completely harmless to humans (or cats) Despite their small size, they only get 1 or 2 offspring a year, and can live 20-30 years! If you have one in your roof, like under the rooftiles, Keep it! Bats eat 3000 insects EVERY NIGHT. and they never chew or dig or fuck up your house in any way. Their excrements are also almost odor-free and dust-like, so no trouble, unless there are hundreds of bats.

That made me start wondering how aquatic mammals get by without fresh water to drink. Before the internets that would be a question I wouldn't care enough about to research; but apparently google knows everything.

http://www.savethemanatee.org/faq_salt_water.html

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-can-sea-mammals-drink/

Be sure you wash your hands thoroughly before putting them in your mouth, the poison can stay on them for a while, and does effect mammals. It would probably just make you sick, but why take chances.
I've raised Newts and Salamanders since I was little. I was really psyched when I moved to the Bay area from Texas and found them everywhere.

@bcglorf
totally agree,
unless you wish to consider the massive rise of:diabetes,hypertension,heart disease,cancer,mental illness,obesity etc etc.

the connections linked to GMO's and its possible harmful effects to mammals and the environment,along with the surrounding ecosystems are beginning to surface.

turns out those company sponsored studies may not be as upfront and truthful as we were lead to believe and there might actually be a reason for concern.