Adult Mortality After Neonatal Thymectomy in a Marsupial,Setonix brachyurus (quokka) 1

Summary

The lifespan of the quokka, a small marsupial, was shown to be markedly reduced after neonatal thymectomy, but this was not associated with the development of a wasting syndrome. The normal lifespan of intact animals is more than 10 years; however, most neonatally thymectomized quokkas died before 3 years.

We thank Messrs. W. Evans, L. Smallacambe, G. Benwell, W. Bartbolomaeus, and M. Price for animal husbandry, and Mr. N. A. Campbell for statistical advice.