120 likes | 355 Views
Milk: Evolution/History. Why milk? First food for all people Only naturally occuring food that exists only to feed (plants/animals have their own lives) Mammals – ‘creatures of the breast’ First sources of milk: ewe, goat, cow
E N D
Milk: Evolution/History • Why milk? • First food for all people • Only naturally occuring food that exists only to feed (plants/animals have their own lives) • Mammals – ‘creatures of the breast’ • First sources of milk: ewe, goat, cow • Early Indo-Europeans were the 1st dairy farmers, milk & butter figure prominently in many cultural creation myths (pg.8)
Evolution • Milk first arrived with the advent of Mammals (~300 mya) • Possible uses include: • providing a protective coating/nourishing skin secretion for vulnerable hatchlings (seen today in the platypus). • Allowing rapid development outside the womb • Provide vehicle for antibodies/etc. from mother to offspring.
Ruminants Ruminants - so named for their habit of ruminating or "chewing the cud" (regurgitating and re-chewing their food) - are considered to be the most advanced artiodactyls, and they are certainly the most numerous and widespread of the world's modern-day ungulate fauna. Their great success is due to a very specialized digestive tract, which allows these ungulates to thrive on relatively poor vegetation. All ruminants have a four-chambered stomach. The dental formula is generally I 0/3, C 0/1, P 3/3, M 3/3 x 2 = 32, although in members of the Tragulidae, Moschidae, and some Cervidae the upper canine may be present (total teeth 34). The cheek teeth have selenodont (crescent-shaped) ridges, which grind food efficiently with the side-to-side chewing motion characteristic of this group.
Milk site • http://classes.ansci.uiuc.edu/ansc438/index.html