Effect of lactation stage and concurrent pregnancy on milk composition in the bottlenose dolphin

Although many toothed whales (Cetacea: Odontoceti) lactate for 2-3 years or more, it is not known whether milk composition is affected by lactation stage in any odontocete species. We collected 64 pooled milk samples spanning 1-30 months postpartum from three captive bottlenose dolphins Tursiops tru...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of zoology (1987) 2007-10, Vol.273 (2), p.148-160
Main Authors: West, K.L, Oftedal, O.T, Carpenter, J.R, Krames, B.J, Campbell, M, Sweeney, J.C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
bottlenose dolphin
Breastfeeding & lactation
Cetacea
Correlation analysis
Dolphins & porpoises
lactation
Marine
Milk
milk composition
nutrition
Odontoceti
Original
Pregnancy
Progesterone
Proteins
Tursiops
Tursiops truncatus
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Summary:Although many toothed whales (Cetacea: Odontoceti) lactate for 2-3 years or more, it is not known whether milk composition is affected by lactation stage in any odontocete species. We collected 64 pooled milk samples spanning 1-30 months postpartum from three captive bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus. Milks were assayed for water, fat, crude protein (TN x 6.38) and sugar; gross energy was calculated. Ovulation and pregnancy were determined via monitoring of milk progesterone. Based on analysis of changes in milk composition for each individual dolphin, there were significant increases (P
ISSN:0952-8369
1469-7998
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2007.00309.x