We compared volatile chemical profiles of urine, scats and bedding from four placental and three marsupial predators. We investigate whether odour cues differ between placental and marsupial carnivores in Australia, where native prey experienced only marsupial mammal predation until ~4000 years ago. Yet it also possible that all predators emit similar cues because they are carnivorous. Distantly related animals have distinct evolutionary histories, physiologies and ecologies, predicting they will emit different cues. Naivety theory predicts that it is because novel predators emit novel cues. Yet exactly why native prey fail to recognise alien predators remains puzzling. The classic example is prey naivety towards alien predators, whereby prey fail to recognise a new predator. Introduced species disrupt coevolved systems of communication and detection in their new ranges, often leading to devastating impacts. Detecting enemies is crucial for survival and a trait that develops over an evolutionary timeframe.
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