In this Book
- Reproduction in Mammals: The Female Perspective
- Book
- 2017
- Published by: Johns Hopkins University Press
summary
A fascinating look at the diverse reproductive strategies of numerous female mammals, from hyenas to goats, kangaroos to whales.Newborn mammals can weigh as little as a dime or as much as a motorcycle. Some receive milk for only a few days, whereas others nurse for years. Humans typically have only one baby at a time following nine months of pregnancy, but other mammals have twenty or more young after only a few weeks in utero. What causes this incredible reproductive diversity? In Reproduction in Mammals, Virginia Hayssen and Teri J. Orr present readers with a fascinating examination of the varied reproductive strategies of a broad spectrum of mammals, from marsupials to whales. This unique book's comprehensive coverage gathers stories from many taxa into a single, cohesive perspective that centers on the reproductive lives of females. The authors shed light on a number of intriguing questions, including• do bigger moms have bigger babies?• do primates have longer pregnancies than other groups?• does habitat influence animals' reproductive patterns?• do carnivores typically produce larger litters than prey species?The book opens with the authors' definition of what constitutes a female perspective and an examination of the evolution of reproduction in mammals. It then outlines the typical individual mammalian female: her genetics, anatomy, and physiology. Taking a nuanced approach, Hayssen and Orr describe the female reproductive cycle and explore female mammals' interactions with males and offspring. Readers will come away from this thought-provoking book with an understanding of not only how reproduction fits into the lives of female mammals but also how biology has affected the enormously diverse reproductive patterns of the phenotypes we observe today.
Table of Contents
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- Title Page, Copyright Page
- pp. i-iv
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xiii-xvi
- 1. The Female Perspective
- pp. 1-8
- 2. Evolution and Diversity
- pp. 9-22
- Part One: The Reproducing Female
- pp. 23-24
- 3. Inheritance
- pp. 25-36
- 4. Anatomy
- pp. 37-68
- Part Two: Cycles
- pp. 93-94
- 6. Oogenesis to Conception
- pp. 95-117
- 8. Birth and the Neonate
- pp. 140-156
- 9. Lactation: Birth to Weaning
- pp. 157-174
- 10. Weaning and Beyond
- pp. 175-188
- Part Three: Reproduction in Context
- pp. 189-190
- 12. Interactions with Other Species
- pp. 217-231
- Part Four: The Human Side
- pp. 247-248
- 14. Conservation and Female Reproduction
- pp. 249-261
- 15. Women as Mammals
- pp. 262-274
- Literature Cited
- pp. 281-328
- Common Name Index
- pp. 329-336
- Scientific Name Index
- pp. 337-346
- Subject Index
- pp. 347-352
Additional Information
ISBN
9781421423166
Related ISBN(s)
9781421423159
MARC Record
OCLC
1004271449
Pages
368
Launched on MUSE
2017-09-27
Language
English
Open Access
No