Peccary poop is a kind of 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.

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

Dung beetles in Africa roll balls of dung. They eat part of it. They 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.

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 eat eucalyptus leaves. These are hard to digest. Special microbes in their stomachs help break down this food. They make it easier for koalas to eat. Baby koalas don’t have these microbes. So, the mother feeds the baby some of her poop. That helps microbes grow in the baby’s stomach. Now that you know more about poop, you may never think of it the same way again!