Gregg Jennifer K, Wynne-Edwards Katherine E
Department of Biology, Queen's University Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6 Canada.
Dev Psychobiol. 2006 Nov;48(7):528-36. doi: 10.1002/dev.20174.
Placentophagia is common among parturient female mammals but non-parturient females generally refuse placenta. Biparental male dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli) readily consume placenta. The present study quantified placentophagia and liver acceptance in the closely related Siberian hamster P. sungorus in which males do not participate in the birth and are not responsive to a displaced pup. Sexually naïve P. sungorus males and females refused both placenta and liver (all groups <10%). Reproductive females specifically consumed placenta on the day before (G17), and the day of, parturition (G18) (>80%). Males rejected both tissues on G17 and accepted placenta soon after the birth (G18) (80%) only if they were present during the birth. Palatability of the placenta was not responsible for the species difference as P. campbelli accepted P. sungorus placenta. Results are consistent with a neophobic reaction to both placenta (conspecific or heterospecific) and liver as P. sungorus also rejected P. campbelli placenta.
胎盘食性在分娩后的雌性哺乳动物中很常见，但未分娩的雌性通常会拒绝食用胎盘。双亲抚育的雄性侏儒仓鼠（坎氏毛足鼠）会欣然食用胎盘。本研究对亲缘关系密切的黑线毛足鼠的胎盘食性和肝脏接受情况进行了量化，在黑线毛足鼠中，雄性不参与分娩，对被转移的幼崽也没有反应。性成熟前的黑线毛足鼠雄性和雌性都拒绝胎盘和肝脏（所有组均<10%）。处于繁殖期的雌性在分娩前一天（第17天）和分娩当天（第18天）会特别食用胎盘（>80%）。雄性在第17天会拒绝这两种组织，只有在分娩时在场的情况下，才会在出生后不久（第18天）接受胎盘（80%）。胎盘的适口性并不是造成物种差异的原因，因为坎氏毛足鼠会接受黑线毛足鼠的胎盘。研究结果与对胎盘（同种或异种）和肝脏的新恐惧症反应一致，因为黑线毛足鼠也会拒绝坎氏毛足鼠的胎盘。
