noun
mammal
Standard biological term for mammals. Used in both everyday and scientific contexts.
クジラは哺乳動物です。
Whales are mammals.
哺乳動物は子を乳で育てる。
Mammals raise their young on milk.
哺乳類 is a more common and slightly broader term for the class Mammalia, while 哺乳動物 emphasizes individual animals.
Compound of 哺乳 (ほにゅう, 'suckling, nursing') and 動物 (どうぶつ, 'animal'), literally 'suckling animal'.