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Mammal reproduction

© Michal PiskulaTheir offspring are nourished by milk produced by the female’s mammary glands - the organs after which mammals are named - which also provides antibodies to protect them from infections.

There are three different ways mammals reproduce. Some mammals, such as the duck-billed platypus, hatch from eggs. Others, called marsupials, develop within an egg which disintegrates after six weeks and the young marsupial crawls into its mother’s pouch.

The majority of mammals, however, develop within their mother’s womb. They are born live, and their mother suckles and protects them for a long period, sometimes several years, after birth.

Sumatran Tiger

Find them on the Lion Terraces

Female tigers roar and leave scent markings to attract a mate. After snarling and snapping at each other, the female grooms the male before mating. Three months later, the female gives birth to two or more helpless cubs in a sheltered den. The female suckles her cubs for up to six months and teaches them to hunt. Only 50% of tigers survive their first two years, by which time they are fully independent.

Western Grey Kangaroo

Find them at the Children’s Zoo

A male kangaroo sniffs the female’s urine to check she is ready to breed. They arch and scratch each other’s tails before mating. One month later, the young kangaroo, or joey, climbs from its mother’s birth canal into her pouch, attaching itself to her teat. The joey leaves her pouch completely at ten months, though it will continue to be suckled for another six months.

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