Back to whales again! In general, cetaceans have no protruding udders like cows. Whale
mammaries are two long
and fairly flat organs inclined to each other at a slight angle. Their tips are not far from the
umbilicus, and the
average dimensions in "resting" Rorqual cows are about 7ft. by 2 ft. 6 in. by 2 1/4 in. In
lactation, as with all
other mammals, there are discernible changes in the size of the mammary glands. During
lactation, the thickness
of the glands can increase from as little as the 2 1/4 in. mentioned to a maximum of 1 ft.: and
the colour changes
from pink to golden brown. If the glands are strongly distended, the nipples can be detected
from the outside.
Jets of milk have been seen to shoot from the nipples of whale carcasses, when whalers call
them "milk filled"
- a sure sign that the animal was lactating.