Colostrum Colostrum Colostrum (known colloquially as beestings, bisnings or first milk) is the first form of milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals (including many humans) immediately following delivery of the newborn. Most species will generate colostrum just prior to giving birth. Colostrum contains antibodies to protect the newborn against disease. In general, protein concentration in colostrum is substantially higher than in milk. Fat concentration is substantially higher in colostrum than in milk in some species, e.g. sheep and horses, but lower in colostrum than in milk in some other species, e.g. camels and humans. In swine, fat concentration of
Birth deriving their nourishment from a mammal-like placenta attached to the inside of the mother's uterus. In a recently described example, an African species, "Trachylepis ivensi", has developed a purely reptilian placenta directly comparable in structure and function to a mammalian placenta. Vivipary is rare in snakes, but boas and vipers are viviparous, giving birth to live young. The majority of insects lay eggs but a very few give birth to offspring that are miniature versions of the adult. The aphid has a complex life cycle and during the summer months is able to multiply with great rapidity. Its reproduction is