Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Evaluation of Mammary Gland Development and Function in Mouse Models
Published on: July 21, 2011
The tammar wallaby: a model to examine endocrine and local control of lactation
Amelia J Brennan1, Julie A Sharp, Matthew R Digby
1CRC for Innovative Dairy Products, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. a.brennan2@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au
Abstract:
Marsupials, such as the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii), have adopted a reproductive strategy that is very different to eutherians. Both the rate of production and the composition of milk changes progressively during the lactation cycle to meet the nutritional demands of an altricial young. The tammar therefore provides a valuable model to study changes in milk composition, and in particular the genes that code for proteins secreted in the milk, to more accurately assess the role of gene products regulating either development of the young or mammary function.
Related Concept Videos
The Mammary Glands
Each breast features a pigmented projection known as the nipple, through which milk emerges via closely spaced openings of ducts, referred to as lactiferous ducts. Surrounding the nipple is a circular pigmented area of skin named the areola, which appears rough due to...
Parental Care
Endocrine Signaling

