Peccary poop is used as a kind of a message board. These wild pigs from South America tend to poop in a big pile. Each time a peccary goes, it sniffs the pile to find out what’s going on and who else was there.

Giant river otters also send a message. The message is: Stay away! These otters live in family groups in rivers in South America. They create special places where all the otters poop. The stinky mess keeps other animals away.

Dung beetles in Africa roll balls of other animals’ dung. They eat part of it and lay eggs in it. When the babies are born, they have an instant food source.

Turkey vultures poop on their own legs and feet. This cools them off. It also cleans away any germs they get from the dead animals they devour.

If the purpose of pooping is to get rid of things the body doesn’t need, why do some animals eat poop? Some animals can’t get enough nourishment from their food the first time they eat it. So, they eat it twice by eating their own poop.

There’s another reason, too. Koalas, for example, eat eucalyptus leaves. These are tough and hard to digest. Special microbes in their stomachs help break down this food. They make it easier for koalas to eat. When a baby koala is born, it doesn’t have these microbes. So, the mother will feed the baby some of her poop. That helps the microbes start to grow in the baby’s stomach. Poop is remarkably useful.

Now that you know more about it, you may never think of it the same way again!