Dietary-dependent cross-species similarities in maternal chemical cues.

Acomys cahirinus pups preferred chemical cues from conspecific lactating females maintained on the maternal diet as compared to such cues from females fed an unfamiliar diet. Likewise, chemical cues from maternal diet Mus musculus were preferred over those from unfamiliar diet conspecific females. Thus, the production of maternal chemical stimuli may be basically similar in Acomys and Mus, with maternal diet being more critical than genetically programmed species-specific characteristics in determining the properties of the chemical cues to which A. cahirinus pups respond.