DEVELOPMENT OF THE KIDNEY
In mammals, the final kidney is the metanephric kidney, but development occurs in three stages with the development of three different types of kidney during the embryonic period: pronephros, mesonephros, and metanephros.
All three types develop from the intermediate mesoderm sequentially in the cranio-caudal direction (in the direction from the head to the tail of the body). First, the pronephros is formed; in mammals, it is considered rudimentary, meaning it does not function. Then, caudal to the pronephros, the mesonephros develops, which is the functioning kidney of the embryo. Following this, in females, the mesonephros degrades, and in males, it takes part in the development of the reproductive system. The third stage is the formation of a metanephros in the caudal part of the embryo, which is a permanent kidney. In some mammals, kidney organogenesis ends before birth, while in others, it may continue for some time into the postpartum period. When the formation of new nephrons (nephrogenesis) ends, the number of nephrons in the kidney becomes final. Thus, after suffering damage, the kidneys of adult mammals cannot regenerate by forming new nephrons. However, kidneys have other compensatory mechanisms for restoring their function.18.6
Source:
Rana Tanmoy (ed.). Principles of Veterinary Animal Physiology. CRC Press,2026. — 290 p.. 2026
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