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How do wombats poop cubes? Scientists get to the bottom of the mystery

https://www.science.org/content/article/how-do-wombats-poop-cubes-scientists-get-bottom-mystery
32•bushwart•1d ago

Comments

changoplatanero•1h ago
All that work I did for my PhD and I could have been studying this topic instead...
comrade1234•1h ago
I climb a lot around the forests where I live in Switzerland. In one area there are a lot of yew trees - deadly to mammals. Just 30 grams of the needles will stop your heart. The bright red berry tastes very nice and isn't poisonous but the seed, if just one seed has a crack in it and you swallow it it will stop your heart in about thirty minutes. German kings have used it to kill themselves after being defeated by Roman armies so that they don't have to surrender.

Anyway, there's an animal here, I assume marmots, that swallows the berries whole and shits them out as a half-digested diarrhea onto the tops of rocks, logs, anywhere high enough to mark their territory. Probably better than shitting out a charcoal briquette that you hope won't roll over... but they seem to know not to chew and crack the seeds.

MillironX•44m ago
We covered yew extensively in toxicology class in vet school, but I didn't know about any animals that eat the berries. My favorite fact about yew is that the Iowa State Lloyd Veterinary Center is named after a toxicologist, yet has yew planted for decoration all around the building.
zhoBEENG•40m ago
If they die within 30 minutes, you would never see the scat of those who crack the seeds.
plasticeagle•1h ago
"exceptional excrement" "sharp-sided scat" "To get to the bottom of the mystery" "...aptly titled journal Soft Matter."

Great to see someone having some fun writing an article.

NDlurker•51m ago
I was so confused by wombat poop the first time I saw it. Wasn't sure what I was looking at so I poked it with a stick.
jbosh•28m ago
The pun in the title is just world class.

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180•chvid•3h ago•203 comments

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247•soheilpro•11h ago•162 comments

How do wombats poop cubes? Scientists get to the bottom of the mystery

https://www.science.org/content/article/how-do-wombats-poop-cubes-scientists-get-bottom-mystery
32•bushwart•1d ago•7 comments

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70•paulpauper•1d ago•44 comments