Guest lecture (exam 2

Question 1

What is the placenta?

Answer 1

• Temporary organ formed during pregnancy
• Functions:
• Nutrient and gas exchange between mother and fetus
• Endocrine production and regulation
• Placental barrier

Question 2

Which animals engage in placentophagy? What about primates?

Answer 2

• Seen in over 4,000 terrestrial mammalian species
• Exceptions: camelids, humans
• Seen in all species but not every individual
• Most observations are in captivity
• Pay more attention to placenta than neonate (Kemps and Timmermans, 1982)
• Alpha female observed taking placenta from a lower ranking mother (Ratnayeke and
Dittus, 1989)
• Correlated to licking of infant (Negayama et al., 1986)

Question 3

Why do animals do it?

Answer 3

• Commonly proposed hypotheses:
• Cleaning the nest site, predator avoidance, general or specific hunger, regain lost
nutrients
• Animal data suggests an evolutionary benefit for placentophagy

Question 4

Do humans do it?

Answer 4

• some

Question 5

What do we know about placentophagy in humans?

Answer 5

• mothers

Question 6

Who engages in placentophagy?

Answer 6

primates, humans, etc

Question 7

What benefits did mothers claim to have after consuming their placenta?

Answer 7

• Increase general energy
• Allow a quicker return to health after birth
• Increase production of breast milk
• Decrease likelihood of baby blues and post natal depression
• Decrease likelihood of iron deficiency
• Decrease likelihood of insomnia or sleep disorders