[Observation] Curious About Poop: Fun Poop Facts
Observation
[Observation] Curious About Poop: Fun Poop Facts
In this “Let’s Think,” we’ve got an Animal Poop Quiz! Answer the quizzes and become a "Poop Expert"!
What You'll Learn in "Let's Think"
- Poop varies from animal to animal
"Let’s Think" is quiz time.
Okay! I'll do my best!
Here are three samples of poop: they belong to a red panda, a rabbit, and a raccoon dog.
Hmm, I see
Alright, first question:
Which one is red panda poop?
Which one is red panda poop?
Umm… I'm not sure, but I think I'll go with number 3.
Wow, correct! Number 3 is the red panda's poop.
Yay, I got it right!
Red panda’s poop actually smells nice.
Smells nice?
Yes, red pandas often eat bamboo, sasa grass, acorns, and more, so their fresh poop is a deep green color, similar to the used leaves of brewed tea, and it smells like fresh sasa leaves.
Poop that doesn't stink sounds nice!
Okay, next question. Which one is rabbit poop?
Rabbit poop is easy! Because we have rabbits at school.
Oh, then this is an easy question for you!
The answer is number 1. They're small and round, right?
Yes, exactly! Great job!
Yay, I got two right in a row!
Actually, rabbits eat their own poop.
They eat their own poopjQuery220027972058902883656_1759301130650 I've never seen them do that before.
No, no, all rabbits actually do that.
Rabbits poop twice in this order.
Rabbits poop twice in this order.
Wow, they really do poop twice!
Rabbits eat their first poop, called cecotropes, right from their bottom, so if you're not watching closely, you might not even notice.
Wow, I had no idea.
But why do they eat cecotropes?
But why do they eat cecotropes?
It's because cecotropes still have lots of nutrients in them. If rabbits don't eat them, they can't get enough nutrition.
Fuuun... just like "poop" in Japanese!
Haha, nice one. Maybe I'll use that sometime...
Here's the last question.
This last pile of poop is from a raccoon dog. So, how do raccoon dogs usually poop?
This last pile of poop is from a raccoon dog. So, how do raccoon dogs usually poop?
Hmm, maybe number 3?
Nope.
The correct answer is number 2: “They always go in the same spot.”
The correct answer is number 2: “They always go in the same spot.”
Wow, just like people!
Raccoon dogs use the same spot together with their family and neighbors. They can tell a lot from the smell of the poop there. For example, how someone’s feeling that day or if a new member has joined the group.
It's like they're talking through poop!
That's right. If zookeepers clean up all the raccoon dog poop at once, the animals lose their way to communicate and get stressed out.
How interesting!
Well, we could keep talking about fun animal poop trivia, but now it's time to move on to human poop!
Really?
It's also important to learn about your own poop. Let's look together in the "Let's Try" section.
It's called "Let's Try," but we're going to look?
Hahaha...
What You Learned in "Let's Think"
- Red panda poop smells nice!?
- Rabbits eat their poop.
- Raccoon dogs use poop to communicate.
- Photos of red panda (animal and poop), rabbit (animal) courtesy of Tokyo Zoological Park Society.
- Specimens of rabbit and raccoon dog poop courtesy of Tokyo Zoological Park Society.
- Reference: "Unchiku Ippai Doubutsu no Unchi Zukan " by Teruyuki Komiya, Shogakukan Creative, 2021