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The lactation cycle of the fur seal
journal contribution
posted on 2005-07-14, 00:00 authored by Julie SharpJulie Sharp, K Cane, John ArnouldJohn Arnould, Kevin NicholasThe fur seal is a mammal with an unusual ability to turn its milk production on and off without significantly altering the gross morphology of the mammary gland. This atypical lactation cycle is due to the fact that maternal foraging and infant nursing are spatially and temporally separate (Bonner, 1984). Maternal care involves the suckling of offspring over a period of at least 4 months, but lactation can extend to more than 12 months. Following a perinatal fast of approximately 1 week, females depart the breeding colony to forage at sea and, for the remainder of lactation, alternate between short periods ashore suckling their young with longer periods of up to 4 weeks foraging at sea. Whilst foraging at sea, milk production in the fur seal mammary gland either ceases or is reduced (Arnould & Boyd, 1995b).
History
Journal
Journal of dairy researchVolume
72Season
Special IssuePagination
81 - 89Publisher
Cambridge University PressLocation
Cambridge, EnglandPublisher DOI
ISSN
0022-0299Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2005, Proprietors of Journal of Dairy ResearchUsage metrics
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lactationfur sealmammospheremilk protein genesScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineAgriculture, Dairy & Animal ScienceFood Science & TechnologyAgricultureMAMMARY EPITHELIAL-CELLSCASEIN GENE-EXPRESSIONFATTY-ACID-COMPOSITIONBETA-LACTOGLOBULINMILK-COMPOSITIONBINDING-SITEALPHA-LACTALBUMINWHEY PROTEINSGOAT MILKAPOPTOSIS
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