Scientists unravel secret of cube-shaped wombat faeces

Researchers investigate why excrement emerges in awkward-shaped blocksOf all the many mysteries that surround the common wombat, it is hard to find one as baffling as its ability – broadly acknowledged as unique in the natural world – to produce faeces shaped like cubes.Why the pudgy marsupials might benefit from six-faced faeces is generally agreed upon: wombats mark their territorial borders with fragrant piles of poo and the larger the piles the better. With die-shaped dung, wombats boost the odds that their droppings, deposited near burrow entrances, prominent rocks, raised ground and logs, will not roll away. That, at least, is the thinking.Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - November 18, 2018 Category: Science Authors: Ian Sample Science editor Tags: Biology Animal behaviour Science Animals World news Source Type: news