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Coprophagia Why eat poop?

Coprophagia Why eat poop?. Laura Skorina SAT-TAS Winter Retreat Franklin Institute January 19 th , 2012.

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Coprophagia Why eat poop?

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  1. Coprophagia Why eat poop? Laura Skorina SAT-TAS Winter Retreat Franklin Institute January 19th, 2012 The work reported herein was supported by the National Science Foundation, award # 0841377, through a grant to Temple University. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the position of the supporting agencies and no official endorsement should be inferred.

  2. Rabbits (Also: capybara, hamsters) Hindgut fermenters Compare horses, rhinos Purpose: to digest cellulose (a rumen is an alternative solution) Also: extract vitamins (B12) second pass through the gut

  3. Hindgut fermentation • 3 kinds of stuff in gut: • Non-fibrous material (sugars, protein) • “slowly fermented” (relatively indigestible) fiber -> get rid of • “readily fermentable” fiber -> send to caecum

  4. Fecal matter (4 hrs) Cecal pellets (8 hrs)

  5. What if they don't eat their poop?

  6. Dogs - why? • Instinct – a history of scavenging • Keeping the den clean • Copying other dogs • Natural puppy exploration • Nutrient deficiency, parasites, pancreatitis • Nutrition supplement • Attention (incl. negative) • Boredom

  7. Chimpanzees Gorillas Bonobos Re-ingestion of seeds?

  8. Coprophagy to establish or repopulate the intestinal flora • Elephants, pandas, koalas, hippos – babies born without intestinal bacteria; eat the feces of mother or other members of herd • In people:Fecal bacteriotherapy -- introduction of bacteria from feces of a close relative, to restore healthy intestinal balance after cases of ulcerative colitis or other bad-bacteria infections

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