Page 39 - Mammal (DK Eyewitness)
P. 39
Teats run the length
of the mother’s abdomen
This teat is not needed
for this small litter
MATERNAL MANATEE
The manatee, a marine mammal, has
teats situated just behind her front
flippers, near her “armpits.” The
youngster feeds underwater,
lying by its mother’s side in
calm water. Sometimes the
mother holds the baby
with her flipper to keep
it from floating
around in water
currents, a bit like a
human mother
cradling her
infant.
Newborn kittens feeding Each kitten has
on their mother’s milk its own teat
SEARCHING FOR THE NIPPLE
A human baby, unlike many other
mammals, loses weight slightly
after being born but regains birth
weight by one week. In the “rooting
THE WOLF TWINS reflex,” when the baby’s cheek is
The legendary founders of ancient Rome, human stroked it turns to that side,
twins Romulus and Remus, were supposedly searching for the nipple - a useful,
suckled by a she-wolf until discovered and raised built-in behavior for a newborn.
by shepherds. It is unlikely that wolf’s milk could
provide the nutrients required by humans.
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(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
