Composition of the milk of the numbat, Myrmecobius fasciatus (Marsupialia:Myrmecobiidae), with particular reference to the fatty acids of the lipids.

Abstract

The proximate constituents and the fatty acids of the lipid of milk taken from M. fasciatus living in their natural habitat were determined. The lipid is practically all triglyceride. The fatty acid complement was very like that of the milk fat in another anti- and termite-eating mammal, Tachyglossus aculeatus. The fatty acid composition of the milk fat of a M. fasciatus eating a diet based on eggs and milk powder, was different from that of the wild animals.