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Yea, I'm at loss. I agree with Molly in that I am having a hard time finding traits that are entirely unique to mammals...

With respect to evolution, the neocortex is the newest part of the cerebral cortex and is said to be "involved in higher functions such as sensory perception, generation of motor commands, spatial reasoning, concious thought and, in humans, language." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocortex)

"In the more primitive section of the brain, behaviours and actions for the survival of the individual and preservation of species are generated. These include the mechanism of aggressive defence, sex, social hierarchy and defending one’s territories."
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Transcending_the_Primitive_Brain.html

The above would hold that nonmammals possess these charteristics and not concious thought, "intelligence", and language which are associated with the neocortex.

Other ideas regarding the neocortex implicate it in learning processes and voluntary action.

These definitions make me a bit uncomfortable. Where is the data to back this up? How can we really say that if neocortex=conciousness, for example, then non-mammals lack conciousness? What is conciousness anyway and how do you measure it? I can't help but think that such definitions come out of our own arrogance and necessity to validate our "inherent superioirity" as mammals, and furthermore as humans. I'm really curious to know how all of the aforementioned parameters were measured...

Now about intelligence: there is a long-standing belief that the growth of the neocortex is responsible for the evolution of "intelligence;" thus, it would hold that mammals would be inherently more "intelligent" than so called "lower organisms." Furthermore, this would also support the notion that a larger neocortex=more intelligent. Contrary to this, anteaters have a larger neocortex than do humans, yet many are reluctant to claim superior "intelligence" in anteaters. This in addition to many other anomalies in the Animal Kingdom hint that neocortex size is an unsatisfactory indicator of "intelligence."

So, I'm not quite sure where this leads me...but here is a starting place. More to come. ..