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The lactation cycle of the fur seal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2005

Julie A Sharp ,
Kylie Cane ,
John PY Arnould  and
Kevin R Nicholas
Julie A Sharp
Affiliation:
CRC for Innovative Dairy Products, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
Kylie Cane
Affiliation:
CRC for Innovative Dairy Products, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
John PY Arnould
Affiliation:
School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, 3125, Australia
Kevin R Nicholas
Affiliation:
CRC for Innovative Dairy Products, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
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Abstract

The 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).

Keywords

Lactationfur sealmammospheremilk protein genes
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 72 , Issue S1 , August 2005 , pp. 81 - 89
Copyright
Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 2005

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