(ほにゅうるい)

ほにゅうるい
noun
mammal
1. mammal
Warm-blooded vertebrate animals that have hair or fur and nurse their young with milk. The class Mammalia in biological classification.
人間(にんげん)哺乳類(ほにゅうるい)です
Humans are mammals.
Whales are mammals, not fish.
Mammals nurse their young with milk.

哺乳類(ほにゅうるい) is the scientific classification term for mammals. The kanji break down as 哺乳(ほにゅう) (nursing/lactation) + (るい) (class/category).

RELATED CLASSIFICATION TERMS:

COMMON EXAMPLES:

NOTE:
A common topic in science classes: (くじら)(さかな)ではなく哺乳類(ほにゅうるい) (whales are mammals, not fish). The term is used in academic and educational contexts.