One of the many things Karen Pryor has done in her life was to work as a
porpoise trainer. She wrote a wonderful book about her experiences in this
field, _Lads_Before_the_Wind_.

She states in the book that "It (the porpoise baby) nurses like a colt, many,
many times a day, but briefly.  The mammary glands are in two slits on either
side of the genital slit; while the baby is nursing the nipple protrudes, and
the infant porpoise suckles just like any other mammal. There is a myth that
the porpoise mother squirts her milk into her baby's mouth, but this is not so;
the system called the letdown reflex makes the milk available, just as in any
other mammal."       (page 95)

This book is probably long since out of print.  If you can get your hands on
one, by all means read it and enjoy it. (I have three copies, one of them
autographed.  I often find them at used book sales, and have probably purchased
and given away another 6-8 copies over the years.)

Beth Hilleke              [log in to unmask]