this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2025
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Do you secrete milk from mammary glands?
Bc that's like legit the only requirement. We set the bar low. Not like those elitist avians.
I was always taught live birth was also one of the requirements. Are there any other exceptions besides platypus?
Echidna also lay eggs.
That's right!
They also have really weird penises if I recall
Well, you have to be descended from a particular branch of the evolutionary tree that has the ability to secrete milk from mammary glands. If, say, a mollusc independently evolved milk production that wouldn't make it a mammal.
They wouldn't independently evolve mammary glands, because only mammals have mammary glands, and they are not mammals, but mollusca.
I'd say that's a bit of a chicken/egg situation, but I don't think we need to bring in more classes.