What is lactation?
Q: What is lactation?
A: Lactation is the secretion of milk from the breasts of a mother when she feeds her young.
Q: What mammals produce milk?
A: Almost all female mammals produce milk after giving birth to their young. In humans, this process is also known as breastfeeding or nursing.
Q: How does the platypus release its milk?
A: The platypus (which is a monotreme mammal) releases its milk through ducts in its abdomen.
Q: Is there any species where male mammals produce milk?
A: Yes, in only one species of mammal, the Dayak fruit bat, is milk production a normal male function.
Q: What are some of the components found in mothers' milk?
A: Mothers' milk contains fat, lactose, protein, vitamins and minerals. It also contains antibodies which protect the baby until it develops its own immune system.
Q: What hormones are required for producing mothers' milk?
A: Milk production requires two hormones - prolactin and oxytocin - to be present in order for it to occur.
Q: How was lactation made possible before modern mammals existed? A: Before modern mammals existed, lactation was made possible by taking advantage of glands that were already present in synapsid skin - these glands evolved into what we now know as cells that produce mothers' milk.
