The olfactory system of the tammar wallaby is developed at birth and directs the neonate to its mother's pouch odours

In kangaroos and wallabies at birth the highly altricial newborn young climbs unassisted from the urogenital opening to the teat. Negative geotropism is important for the initial climb to the pouch opening, but nothing is known of the signals that then direct the neonate downwards to the teat. Here we show that the newborn tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) has the olfactory apparatus to detect smell. Both the main olfactory system and vomeronasal organ (VNO) are developed at the time of birth. Receptor cells of the main olfactory epithelium immunopositive for Goα-protein project to the three layered main olfactory bulb (MOB). The receptor epithelium of the VNO contains G-protein immunopositive cells and has olfactory knob-like structures. The VNO is connected to an area between the two MOBs. Next, using a functional test, we show that neonates can respond to odours from their mother's pouch. When neonatal young are presented with a choice of a pouch-odour-soaked swab or a saline swab, they choose the swab with their mother's pouch secretions significantly more often (P<0.05) than the saline swab. We conclude that both olfactory systems are capable of receiving odour signals at birth, a function that must be a critical adaptation for the survival of an altricial marsupial neonate such as the tammar for its journey to the pouch.

Studies on lipid digestion in the preruminant calf. The source of lipolytic activity in the abomasum

1. Lipolytic and proteolytic activities and pH values were determined in secretions collected from innervated abomasal pouches and in abomasal contents from preruminant calves given liquid diets.2. No lipolytic activity was detected in pouch secretions collected during 1 h after feeding, though lipolytic activity was present in abomasal contents; pepsin (EC 3.4.23.1) and rennin (EC 3.4.23.4) were present in both pouch secretions and abomasal contents. The pH values of pouch secretions ranged from 1.2 to 1.8 and those of abomasal contents from 4.2 to 5.9.3. When diet was placed directly into the abomasal pouch soon after feeding, the pH values of pouch and abomasal contents decreased similarly (i.e. from 6.3 to approximately 5). Protease activity (U/ml) of pouch contents ranged from 0.1 to 0.8 and that of abomasal contents from 0.1 to 0.2. No lipolytic activity was detected in pouch contents, though abomasal contents contained 0.6 to 1.2 U/ml and when the diet contained milk-fat as the dietary fat source considerable lipolysis of triglycerides containing shorter-chain fatty acids was found.4. It is concluded that there is no significant secretion of lipolytic enzymes by the fundal mucosa and that the lipolysis of triglycerides in the abomasum of the preruminant calf is due predominantly to a lipolytic enzyme in saliva.