Spinal cord development in marsupials in relation to birthing strategies and in comparison with monotremes and the laboratory rat

Abstract

Marsupials are born in an immature state, followed by prolonged nurturing of pouch young by maternal lactation. Spinal cord sections held in the collections at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin were used to test the relationship between structural maturity of the spinal cord and the locomotor challenges that face young marsupials and monotremes. Analysis of variance indicated that body length is a much stronger determinant of variation in anatomical measures of spinal cord maturation than mammal type.

• Brain evolution
• dasyurids
• didelphids
• diprotodontids
• monotremes
• peramelids

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr Peter Giere of the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin for access to the collections and for all his kind help during the work.