Potoooooooo
Contributor
http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/091110_coprophagy.htm
Nature can be beautiful. Elegant. Graceful.
But not always. Believe it or not, animals don’t do everything they do to impress us. If you doubt it, look no further than the fact that some animals eat their own feces.
This phenomenon, called coprophagy, occurs throughout the animal kingdom. It is particularly well-known among rodents, rabbits and their relatives, and—less often—dogs and apes.
The participation of this last group has caused caused particular shock among human witnesses, not least be*cause apes are sup*posed to be our close ev*o*lu*tion*ary relatives.
But two new studies may of*fer a meas*ure of com*fort. At least, such as can be found in such a dismal situation.
Nature can be beautiful. Elegant. Graceful.
But not always. Believe it or not, animals don’t do everything they do to impress us. If you doubt it, look no further than the fact that some animals eat their own feces.
This phenomenon, called coprophagy, occurs throughout the animal kingdom. It is particularly well-known among rodents, rabbits and their relatives, and—less often—dogs and apes.
The participation of this last group has caused caused particular shock among human witnesses, not least be*cause apes are sup*posed to be our close ev*o*lu*tion*ary relatives.
But two new studies may of*fer a meas*ure of com*fort. At least, such as can be found in such a dismal situation.