Weening Practices of Rodents: Chinchillas & the Art of "Cheesing"
One of the quite remarkable aspects of lactation that has rarely been highlighted in the mainstream is the formidable practices of weening that vary from species to species. Here, at the Nogales Lactation Museum, we would like to draw your attention to the historically significant evolution of weening practices in the chinchillas of lower Mongolia. Chinchillas, as our readers probably know, are not native to Mongolia but rather were introduced to the region aboard ships. This
Strange Lactation Species Diversity: The Story of the "Milk Snake"
Local to the Nogales Lactation Museum is, of course, the Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum, a species of king snake. There are several interesting facts to ponder here. First of all, it is important to note that there are 24 types of milk snake though, misleadingly, only 23 actually lactate. Also, as the greater species name indicates, it is a “king” snake which is the first clue that it is the males, not the females, of the species that lactate. The lactating glands are lo
Interspecies Woodland Lactation: A Walk to Remember
“One day, I was walking through the woods in Northern Maine when I heard the noise of a woodpecker. It was continuous so I didn’t think anything of it. Simultaneously, I heard the loud and panicky squeak of what was clearly a rodent. That too was continuous. The tapping sound of the woodpecker stopped and then, suddenly, so did the squeaking. I looked towards where the sounds had been coming from and what I saw was the strangest thing imaginable! The woodpecker was flying tow
