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HERO ID
8654050
Reference Type
Book/Book Chapter
Title
Smell, suck, survive: Chemical signals and suckling in the rabbit, cat, and dog
Author(s)
Arteaga, L; Bautista, A; González, D; Hudson, R
Year
2013
Publisher
Springer New York
Book Title
Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 12
Page Numbers
51-59
Language
English
Abstract
All mammalian young depend for their survival for at least some period on the mother's milk. Locating the mammary region, attaching to a nipple or teat, and being motivated to suck until milk fl ows is one of the first and most vital challenges they face. For altricial species such as the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), the cat (Felis silvestris catus) and the dog (Canis lupus familiaris) born without vision, not directly aided by the mother, and having to compete with littermates, the challenge is particularly great. All three species use chemical cues apparently emitted under hormonal control by lactating females to achieve this. From birth they quickly orient to the mother's ventrum, rapidly locate nipples, and respond with nipple-search behavior and nipple attachment to other lactating females but not to non-lactating females. Kittens, but not rabbits or puppies, also quickly establish a nipple order in which each kitten uses primarily one or sometimes two particular nipples. Recognition of own nipples appears to depend on learned olfactory cues, possibly contained in each kitten'sown saliva. These three species illustrate similarities and differences in the use of chemical cues by mammalianyoung in the suckling context and raise questions warranting further investigation: are there commonalities in the origin and chemical composition of the suckling signals emitted by the mothers of such taxonomically different species? Are there commonalities in the neural processing of such signals, for example, in the participation of the main and accessory olfactory systems? To what extent are inborn responses augmented or even replaced by learned chemical cues? And does the early experience of such cues affect the response to chemical signals in laterlife?. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013.
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