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 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 not only of how reproduction fits into the lives of female mammals but also of how biology has affected the enormously diverse reproductive patterns of the phenotypes we observe today.

A fascinating look at the diverse reproductive strategies of numerous female mammals, from hyenas to goats, kangaroos to whales.

About the Author
Virginia Hayssen is a professor of biological sciences at Smith College. She is the coauthor of Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data. Teri Orr is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Utah.

Reviews
In every chapter, the authors briefly describe things that we still need to know or that we know to some extent but need more data to improve our ability to test hypotheses. For this reason, this is a great book for beginning researchers or graduate students.
-Journal of Mammalogy
In the book, readers are presented with an examination of the varied reproductive strategies of a broad spectrum of mammals-from marsupials to whales. Its comprehensive coverage gathers many stories into a single, cohesive perspective that centers on the reproductive lives of females.
-Reading Room
The authors have constructed a comprehensive study of female reproductive genetics, anatomy, physiology, behavior, and ecology. Interspersed throughout the book are essays on some of the women who have made contributions to the study of mammalian reproduction. The work manages to rectify some of the previous bias toward study of males without seeming preachy; this reviewer hopes someone will construct a summary of male reproductive biology as well-written and thorough as this one... Highly recommended
-J. L. Hunt, University of Arkansas--Monticello, Choice
Reproduction in Mammals: The Female Perspective intends to highlight the full extent of variation in reproductive biology exhibited across (female) mammals. The authors merge information that might ordinarily be scattered across independent literatures from reproductive physiology, evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology, medicine, and conservation to present a holistic, interdisciplinary discussion.
-Melissa Emery Thompson, University of New Mexico, Evolutionary Anthropology



Book Information
ISBN 9781421423159
Author Virginia Hayssen
Format Hardback
Page Count 368
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 907g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 178mm * 27mm