Answered By: Gabe Gossett
Last Updated: Jan 14, 2016     Views: 38824

Fun question. As it turns out, according to the book Mammalogy, mammals are required to also have three middle ear bones, a neocortex (and therefore a brain), plus mammary glands. They even have to have a sense of smell, skeleton, and other elements missing in the typical coconut. This leaves the poor Cocos nucifera, despite its shaggy appearance and quasi-milk, out of the running to be a mammal. But the good news is that it still has the distinction of being the largest seed in the world, if you include "sea coconuts." 

Comments (14)

  1. The "milk" in coconuts is actually coconut water which serves as the nutrition for the seed. As the coconut ripens more and more of the water solidifies into the coconut "meat". And the air on the coconut is just the last fibers of the husk after it has been stripped off.
    So to answer your question: Coconuts are classified as coconuts and not as mammals because mammals are animals, whereas the coconut is a plant. Mammals have milk and hair, true. Coconuts don't.
    by Allomar on Aug 07, 2017
  2. They also need a spine as mammmals are vertebrae (have a spine), this is true for each and everyone and they cannot without.
    by Joaquin Morales on Nov 15, 2017
  3. Wait, if having a sense of smell is mandatory to be a mammal... then are people without a nose NOT MAMMALS??!!
    by Jameriqui Andeirisontae on Sep 19, 2018
  4. Voldemort is a snake
    by Rob potato on Oct 22, 2018
  5. voldemort is a lizard
    by potato zombaze on Nov 26, 2018
  6. Voldemort is a coconut
    by Andy on Dec 08, 2018
  7. Coconut is a Voldemort
    by idk on Sep 30, 2019
  8. welp. EmKay really taught us something didn't he.
    by 7. on Sep 30, 2019
  9. A mammal consists of a spine because it is a vertebrate and has to be warm-blooded. A coconut does not have a spine or is warm blood so there for it is not a mammal. Also it has to produce a live young. So in the end a coconut is NOT a mammal.
    by Ali O on Oct 21, 2019
  10. LOL COCONUTS ARE MAMMALS! WHY? BECAUSE I AM ONE! AHAHAHHAHAHAHHA
    by Coconut man on Nov 18, 2019
  11. Mammals have to have blood and coconuts in fact. Do not.
    by Me on Apr 02, 2020
  12. search the kokonut song on youtube its lit
    by john cena on Jul 08, 2020
  13. no, because what if you are born genetically without the advantage of a nose
    by ethan on Feb 05, 2022
  14. Because they can’t mate. So all of he milk gets held back and eaten.
    by Where am I on Nov 30, 2023

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