Placentophagia in weanling female laboratory rats
| Autor: | Kaitlyn M. Harding, Joseph S. Lonstein |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2014 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
business.industry Weanling Physiology Behavioral Neuroscience Postpartum estrus Endocrinology medicine.anatomical_structure Developmental Neuroscience Internal medicine Placenta Developmental and Educational Psychology Medicine Juvenile business reproductive and urinary physiology Alloparenting Developmental Biology |
| Zdroj: | Developmental Psychobiology. |
| ISSN: | 0012-1630 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/dev.21208 |
| Popis: | Placentophagia is common in parturient mammals and offers physiological and behavioral advantages for mothers. In natural environments, weanlings are often present during the birth of younger siblings, but it is unknown if weanling rats are placentophagic or prefer placenta over other substances. To examine this, primiparous rats were remated during the postpartum estrus and weanling females remained in the nest during their mother’s next parturition. Continuous observation revealed that 58% of weanlings were placentophagic. To determine if this placentophagia occurs away from parturient mothers, weanling females still living in their natal nest were offered placenta, liver, or cake frosting in a novel chamber. They ingested more placenta and liver than frosting. Thus, many weanling female laboratory rats are placentophagic during birth of younger siblings but do not selectively prefer placenta when tested outside their natal nest. Consequences of placentophagia by weanlings are unknown, but it may promote their alloparenting or postpartum mothering. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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