Synonyms
Definition
Bringing forth live young that have developed inside the maternal body, usually via the placenta.
Introduction
Mammals have extended maternal investment either through gestation or lactation, which may explain how mammals can develop more robust brains (Tutin and Collins 1981). There are two infraclasses in mammals that are viviparous (i.e., giving birth to live young), marsupials and placentals (also known as eutherian mammals). Placental mammals diverged from marsupials roughly 140 MYA. This split resulted in a number of changes including reproductive anatomy and the length of the gestation and lactation periods. Placentals typically have an extended gestation period through which the embryo receives its nutrients though the placenta. Marsupials on the other hand usually have an extended lactation period in which the underdeveloped fetus receives the majority of its nutrients though its mother’s milk.
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References
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Rankin, A., Clauss, N. (2017). Evolution of Live Birth in Mammals (140 MYA). In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_711-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_711-1
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