Purpose
Mammals may undergo diapause to avoid the risk to their own lives during unfavourable and/or environmental conditions. Mammals use embryonic diapause to time the birth of their offspring for favorable metabolic and/or environmental conditions. Reproduction has a large energy cost and it is beneficial to have ideal conditions (e.g. available food, mild weather, previous offspring weaned) to ensure the offspring survives before giving birth.
Read more about this topic: Embryonic Diapause
Famous quotes containing the word purpose:
“The strongest wind cannot stagger a Spirit; it is a Spirit’s breath. A just man’s purpose cannot be split on any Grampus or material rock, but itself will split rocks till it succeeds.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“A material resurrection seems strange and even absurd except for purposes of punishment, and all punishment which is to revenge rather than correct must be morally wrong, and when the World is at an end, what moral or warning purpose can eternal tortures answer?”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;”
—Bible: Hebrew Ecclesiastes (l. III, 1–2)