Why These Animals Eat Sh*t

[@oranjmusemeyer968]

Hang in there Hank, we are all rooting for you!

[@MrGrombie]

Hang in there? Did you also make a poop pun? 😂 But yeah, so am I.

[@4m0d]

pooping for you

[@conniegarvie]

And me!

[@jburton413]

@@conniegarvie Yes Connie, we are rooting for you as well 👍 😉

[@francoislacombe9071]

Honorable mention. _Nepenthes Lowii,_ a species of pitcher plant from Borneo who has evolved to consume the droppings of mountain tree shrews, which it attracts with tasty sweet secretions produced by its toilet shaped pitchers. As the shrews lick the sweet liquid provided by the plant, they will often defecate straight in the pitchers, providing the plant with concentrated doses of nitrogen, phosphorus, and other minerals it can't easily find in its native swampy habitat.

[@jimroberts1943]

The digestive system of a bunny is not *uniquely* weird. Guinea pigs, although not very closely related to rabbits, also produce and eat cecotropes.

[@arobed4]

capybaras also have to eat their own poop!

[@sultanmutschi]

also Beavers!

[@malavoy1]

Exactly, it's the only way they have of getting vitamin B12.

[@adamkamieniarz9223]

So you tell me Nesquik cereal's mascot, Quik the bunny could also be a guinea pig?

[@mykstreja8648]

Aren't all these examples of other cecotrope producers all members of the Rodent family? Is that a connection?

[@IanM-id8or]

You left out koalas. Koalas feed their poop tot their joeys in order to pass on the bacteria which allow them to digest eucalyptus leaves - the only other thing koalas eat. The joeys would literally starve to death if they didn't eat their mum's poop.

[@richardl6751]

You beat me to it.

[@xpyr]

I learned that from ze frank!

[@qynoi42]

@@xpyr Me too!

[@ashrob004]

kind of weird question but does the poop have to be from the baby’s mother? or can it be from any other koala?

[@Ole_Rasmussen]

@@ashrob004 I don't know for sure, but it would seem that any bacterium that helps digest the leaves would work and all adult koalas have those (or else they wouldn't have become adults)

[@spiderpickle3255]

Not even cancer is gonna prevent Hank from making poop jokes!

[@IAmScottyE]

Wait what!

[@gilliganallmighty3]

​@@IAmScottyE kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmfEZZuDrs6qeNE

[@sinajebraili8104]

WhAt???

[@Itual]

@@sinajebraili8104Hank unfortunately has cancer, he’s talked about it a lot in the vlogbrothers channel. Thankfully it seems to be a very treatable type of cancer with good survival chances

[@anandnaieyan]

Godspeed hanj

[@soup_dad64]

The thumbnail in combination with the title and the fact that this is a scishow video is hilarious

[@SanguineThor]

Hank was like "yeah, let me host at least one SciShow episode right now, and make it about POOP". Love ya Hank

[@evelmichael]

HANK! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE RESTING! (I'm kidding, I'm so happy you had the energy for this. It was very interesting. Thank you for all that you do!)

[@shhh5397]

I am SO grateful for this man's existence. Who knows if I'd have learned so much in life if it wasn't for him & his wonderful explanations.

[@socrabe]

His enthusiasm makes us interested in the most obscure subjects ❤ Love that guy

[@Space-Bunny-Starhopper]

As a self confessed bunny-mad person who has had rabbits for 20+yrs thank you so much for highlighting just how vital cecotrophes are to the health of a rabbit! It might seem unpleasant to humans but it is so vital to a rabbit to keep them healthy. They have such incredibly delicate GI systems, a lot of people aren't aware of just how delicate they can be. That balance needs to be kept right. If it isn't it very quickly becomes life threatening and the rabbit needs to see a vet very quickly to survive. It's so tragic that they're such common pets and yet people don't bother to research them before getting them. Knowing about cecotrophes and nutrition is a basic thing. There's a reason they're called exotic pets. They're far more difficult to care for properly than cats and dogs.

[@slwrabbits]

bunny bunny bunny bunny!

[@rawdaaljawhary4174]

I never knew they were considered exotic pets! That's cool. Thank you for explaining that so well.

[@Sarcasmhime]

Only bunny owners know the overwhelming relief at finally seeing a pile of healthy poops after a GI scare 😅

[@someguy1894]

i misread that..by a mile

[@susanegley4149]

I think we can all agree that our love for Hank got us through this video. 😂❤

[@skeeterinnewjersey5256]

Amen

[@fuzzyspackage]

🫶

[@LK-py1nb]

Everyone loves Hank

[@randymack2222]

Fecal transplanting is sometimes used to help patients with sterile bowels (most commonly a side effect of antibiotics)

[@pedroff_1]

And a gut without the natural microbiome that'd compete for nutrients is the kind of thing C. difficile loves. Hence why this probiotic is so important in preventing it for patients taking antibiotics (whether for other reasons or to treat C. difficile in the first place)

[@j_117]

ȶɦɛ ֆքɨƈɛ

[@kellydalstok8900]

I don’t think anyone has sterile bowels. The patient’s gut biome may contain the wrong kind of bacteria. On order to replace it, the old bacteria need to be killed off first.

[@pedroff_1]

@@kellydalstok8900 It is not completely sterile, but, once you take strong antibiotics, the microbiome in your gut can be pretty depleted in numbers. Of course, quickly, other bacteria come to replace it. Then, as you say, yes, you can get the wrong populations in it, like C. difficile. But, if you use theses probiotics first, you can repopulate it before C. difficile has time to settle, and thus skip the need to use strong antibiotics yet again (C. difficile is a huuuuge pain to kill. It even survives those alcohol mixes, needing thorough hand washing with soap to be gone for good)

[@ag135i]

Hank is the most qualified and interesting person to talk about poop.

[@undercoverduck]

Whenever people get grossed out by the fact that rabbits (only animal that it has ever come up about in conversation) eat their own poop, I like to remind them that anything fermented - stuff like alcohol, cheese and chocolate - can be seen as the equivalent of microorganism poop. It's not a one-to-one comparison, but it's enough to make people reconsider, a stepping stone to realizing that not all waste products are necessarily waste.

[@Uhlersoth77]

Best wishes to you, Hank. You can beat this!

[@heymikeyh9577]

A bit off-topic, but the size difference among coprophagic v. noncoprophagic tadpoles contributes to another phenomenon: cannibalism-it’s common among tadpoles and larger individuals have the advantage in that situation.

[@Eyerleth]

Really? No sh*t?

[@Murdtuffin]

Gives a new meaning to the saying “I eat little shits like you for breakfast”

[@TheHanyou]

In a way, we do use Bat Guanno for food. We use it as a very potent fertilizer.

[@CesarClouds]

I knew there was a catch to rabbits' cuteness.

[@slwrabbits]

BUNNY

[@Periwinkleaccount]

@@slwrabbits BNUUY

[@InsanityOverboard]

Hank making this video makes me smile even more than your average feces munching videos 😂

[@tonig7400]

It’s good seeing you Hank. Stay strong man, wishing you the best! 💪🏼🙏🏼

[@greenjelly01]

"Bat guano has almost twice the protein of a McD hamburger" - that's a very low bar!

[@haggielady]

Dr. Pol covered the Bunny poop thing while back. Thank you Hank, you always make me smile. Even when it's shite jokes.

[@christianavance9124]

I work at a dog daycare and was literally wondering about this exact topic on my way to work this morning. So glad I caught this

[@maureensurdez7841]

Thanks hank. Tthat was a great segment. I happen to think you are probably one of the most down to earth announcers.

[@hiruluk]

I love seeing these new vids with Hank since they're something he explicitly felt like doing ❤

[@aanchaallllllll]

0:50: 🤢 Animals, including humans, engage in coprophagy (eating feces) for various reasons such as social, nutritional, and medicinal benefits. 2:55: 🐇 Rabbits eat their own specialized feces called cecotropes to obtain nutrients from grass. 5:35: 🐶 Dogs may eat fresh poop to prevent parasite outbreaks and protect the pack. 8:23: 🤔 Humans have dabbled in coprophagy throughout history, with some cultural practices and modern medical treatments involving the use of feces. Recap by Tammy AI

[@troydorr4867]

We love you, Hank!! Keep up the good fight, buddy!!!

[@CAMacKenzie]

My wife was so grossed out that she wanted me to find another video, but I was interested enough to tough it out.

[@emmanuelsanchez9303]

We love you Hank!! ❤

[@michaelmeyers4843]

It's content like this that make this channel one of my favorites for go-to science videos. By the way, I'm gonna use coprophage as my new go-to insult from now on! "Shut up, you coprophage!" Imagine being called that in an argument. They wouldn't know what to say, or that I just called them a poop-eater!

[@philthytanks4952]

Well, I didn’t see myself spending the past 11 min learning about poop-eating, but here we are….. now time to practice my self-restraint from bringing any of these up as “fun facts” during dinner parties…….. unless the foods bad enough we need an excuse to “lose our appetites” 😂

[@helentee9863]

Make these dinner parties only nurses (working or retired),and you should be fine. This is the kind of conversation we have all the time, over food or not 🤣 I just eat my lunch watching this !😊

[@asklar]

TIL I'm a salamander for whatever content Hank puts out 🤣 We love you man, you've got this! 💪

[@nickrider5220]

Hank, you're a brilliant presenter, the comedy delivery is perfect, but still relay the scientific content fully. Top science presenter on the internet 👍😎

[@DeiviZZZ]

Thank you for expanding our knowledge! We love you Hank! You are one of the great ones!

[@Azerinth]

I heard that at one point there were European soldiers in Egypt/Africa who learned from a local nomad that eating freah camel poop could ward off dysentery. And that this cure worked.

[@awaredeshmukh3202]

It was even on a scishow video at some point!!

[@journeyon1983]

Wishing you all the best in your fight, Hank.

[@MynameisnotRelevant007]

Hank, I so appreciate and admire you. I love that you keep going and make the world 🌎 a better place by sharing your knowledge and love of all things science. I don’t pray often but l will keep praying for your recovery. Stay strong!

[@MSH767]

Thanks!

[@julescaru8591]

Thank you Hank , love seeing you feeling like yourself, all the best to you sir ! Jules 👍👏

[@NaiyaTheTiger]

Hank really on here, hosting SciShow, like he isn't fighting cancer right now

[@errolwilliams8845]

Thanks for keeping strong Hank, keep going 🫡

[@pottot4208]

Wish you the best Hank your the🐐!!!

[@dacisky]

Hank never disappoints

[@ayush21399]

Thx for bringing unusual but very important and informative content

[@paulmasuicca5304]

Keep up the fight! Best wishes for your recovery.

[@alexhurst3986]

Hank, you are a beast. Going through cancer treatment and you still make SciShow content with a smile. You are an inspiration!

[@dunkalunk]

Get well, Hanks!

[@carlamerritt490]

Thank you Sci Show team! For another really great episode. Love your channel.

[@mellow-jello]

Eat sh*t, and don't die, you mean? Glad to see you continue to have a sense of humor, Hank, keep it going. We are behind your treatments all the way.

[@darlenelang3681]

Thanks for making my life happy. Just seeing and enjoying your videos. Be safe 🙏 and be strong ❤

[@SomeguynamedTrav]

Just the title image and caption of this deserve a freaking award. Made my cereal came out my nose, lol!

[@gardenlifelove9815]

God bless you for continuing your journey with us hank, you make me feel inspired everyday. Keep going brother, you can win the battle.

[@The_SOB_II]

His cancer has no chance!

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Hank, you're looking and sounding great! Hope you're feeling it. We're all rooting for you. If e-hugs were a medicine, you'd be able to win a marathon! Is it possible that animals like wolves evolved to eat the poop, not only for the reasons you gave, but because of the location of it - by the den - it's to help disguise where the kids are? I saw Mama Dr Jones's video on placentaphagy the other day, and that was given as a possible reason for mammal animals eating theirs. It makes sense 🤷🏻‍♀️ Great video, as ever! I love the wide variety of subjects, including (maybe especially because of) the weirdest things! Looking forward to seeing your next one :)

[@Aloha_XERO]

I’m watching this particular episode while in the bathroom definitely makes me appreciate the fact that I’m not a rabbit 🐇

[@davidkantor7978]

I, too, was in the bathroom when I viewed this episode.

[@RD9_Designs]

TMI!!!

[@Aloha_XERO]

@@RD9_Designs I miss read your comment as its TIME!! … Its a known fact: every once in a while for a brief moment in time the human brain expands to a higher superior learning mode, solving problems creating solutions, remembering tasks and yet all mysteries of the universe are solved within an instant, but while in this state we’re extremely vulnerable, somehow when we enter the room in question close the to begin the ritual, there’s no turning back and you have to see it through its completion. And unfortunately the realization of normality returns and you’ve discovered that their is no more toilet paper or you forgof to bring a towel to your bath/shower… iQ’s are no help when you’ve reduced to the point of shouting beyond the room and to be heard throughout the house or depending on your voice power the entire neighborhood by yelling out loud in your outside inside voice… “🗣️HONEY‼️… “ “🥹Can you bring me a towel… please 📢”

[@Aloha_XERO]

was that you ... I was wondering who's in here with me, for a second there, I thought it was that damn rabbit trying to use his sharp claws & very pointy teeth hoping to catch me to devourer my bones at my most vulnerable extreme solitary meditation session. @@davidkantor7978

[@marioreds7826]

Gives a whole new meaning to "this sh*t's good".

[@karcavida3250]

Whem I saw the title, I wondered "who the heck titles their videos like that???", and, of course, it's Hank. 😊

[@JohnAmerisun]

Love you hank dude! Keep on keeping on!

[@Simte]

Gross science can be so fun ahaha. Nice to see you here Hank, Keep the momentum in the delivery of those jokes. Let's. Hope for.more and more in the future.

[@ravenrain6131]

Glad to see you out here making videos Hank! Take care

[@MakeItWithCalvin]

My late guinea pig is offended you did not include her in the video ;-) she too ate her poop since it gave her a second shot at the goodies inside, and kept her digestive tract bacteria going too. It isn't uncommon for sick guinea pigs to eat the poop of a healthy one to try and kick-start their own digestive bacteria again! A tad gross, but you appreciate it when you have them out and they are polite enough to keep from doing a doodo on the carpet :)...

[@Blackmark52]

Cow or buffalo poop from the small intestines (strained, sterilized, and seasoned ) can be used in tartar dishes or in dipping sauces for such dishes. I think it can even be used to season soup stock.

[@dixietenbroeck8717]

*You just go ahead & take as much as you want; I'm not very hungry today!* 🍽💩🥄👋

[@Blackmark52]

@@dixietenbroeck8717 "I'm not very hungry today!" Common reaction. Even to those who dare a taste test and find the one "with" tastes better.

[@justayoutuber1906]

You win the award Hank. Grossest episode ever.

[@Epicdps]

That nutella jar shot was beautiful lmao

[@dixietenbroeck8717]

The one (and _ONLY)_ time I voluntarily ingested Nutella I was not only *_VISUALLY_** reminded of sh-€,* but *I thought it **_TASTED DREADFUL,_** too.* *NEVER AGAIN!* 💩🤮💩

[@Epicdps]

@@dixietenbroeck8717 there are knockoff brands which are waaaay better than nutella, it's just too syrupy sweet and makes me sick to my stomach. LIDL sells one vegan chocolate hazelnut cream. It's fantastic since it doesn't have a bunch of garbage dairy industry waste products in it

[@Richard-wl2nh]

get well soon Hank!

[@oolivegreen]

Hank, I know that possibly you won’t see this, but I just wanted to tell you that I’ve been watching you for almost a decade and I feel like I grew up with your videos and I want to tell you that I appreciate you very much and I hope that we get to see you in even more videos in the future we love you very much and God bless you and take care 🙏🏽🥹🫶🏽❤️

[@ericdew2021]

Two thumbs up, Hank. And take care! I want to see you and SciShow way after YT disappears.

[@wertperch]

Hank, you're unstoppable! At least, we all hope you are ♥

[@fishybusinessco.8398]

Hank you’re a brave man good health to you my friend

[@Alesha_Lewer]

Thank you Hank, we appreciate you, you’re doing awesome ❤

[@NormanMontajes]

I pray you survive your cancer strugle mr.Frank,god be with you. You are a good presenter and in another way a teacher good teacher too.

[@davidpavel5017]

Let me say this once again, Hank isnt worried about cancer, his cancer is worried ever since it realised it's in Hank!

[@kkh4135]

Best title ever made me giggle keep up the amazing work you do!

[@TheReaverOfDarkness]

There are so many examples, we need a part 2 to this!

[@angelarex9497]

My dog only eats horse sh*t when the horses have eaten grass, not hay. Cat poop is always a delicacy to her. In the last 2 months she has become corprophagic with her own poop. Not a fan of any of her choices.

[@ShellyBean17]

As a bunny mom I'm so happy to see rabbits make the list!!

[@chillingonthesofa]

keep truckin hank. great video!

[@dethlovesme]

we love you hank. this was hilarious

[@Jessie-Loser]

Chinchillas are very similar to rabbits! They also produce multiple types of feces and eat their own poop but it's much cuter when a chinchilla does it cause they hold it like a tiny ice cream cone

[@debatology]

If I was a middle school biology teacher, that video would be shown in my first class to get student buy in. It's poorfect !

[@limalicious]

Kinda fascinated with Vowst because two members of my family have had c. diff. infections, one on multiple occasions, including a near fatal infection.

[@Futurebound_jpg]

Anyone who’s gone a little too deep on the internet knows humans are not excluded from this list 😭

[@rafaelperalta1676]

"One man's waste is another man's treasure."

[@jubi400]

Wow! Science is so cool! Thanks Hank!

[@kandihinshaw1870]

I used to have a red-eared slider and his name was big green Duty Raphael Hinshaw. I had in for 11 years before I hand it off to Wildlife Rescue Center. The reasons for the beginning of his name big green Duty was simply this I caught him one afternoon he was choking I couldn't tell what he was choking on. Until I realized he was hacking up a big piece of poop. And I knew that he ate his poop constantly cuz he was a poop eater. LOL but when he hacked up his own poop before that name stuck with me I just started calling big green Duty. And then I nicknamed him baby Duty cuz he was my kid my red-eared slider my baby. The Raphael part comes for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because baby doody my red-eared slider had a red mark across his face and Raphael from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has a red mask

[@tcholmes2237]

10:52 getting down to brass tacks

[@LaurieAnnCurry]

Love me my Hank! Ain’t nobody tell poop jokes better

[@carb_8781]

this was SO FASCINATING for no reason........

[@chaseistheplace2b]

“Adding a nutritional booster to the smoothie” 😂😂😂😂

[@danvice5197]

We've been consuming yeast poop for a long long time.

[@tnonname828]

Didn’t even mention the humans that ate camel poop to get rid of something like dysentery. It’s been so long since I heard about it but basically fresh camel poop I think had good bacteria. Similar to what he was talking about them doing in China

[@gabrielandradeferraz386]

not a lot of people get to look this good on a beanie

[@sarahgooding7785]

We were on a picnic once and one of my children was eating raisins and spilt them… she picked them up ,carried on eating and ended up also accidentally eating a rabbit poop 🤣She’s 21 now and we still tease her about it!!

[@heavymetalbassist5]

Thanks for this Hank, please tell me you took a nap afterwards

[@Articulate99]

Always interesting, thanks.

[@NeroVSsnk]

I feel like Hank loved the Bat Dookie part

[@leongliyang6946]

me looking at my turtle do strange thing... i was wondering why the 2 turtle stick together so closely in 1st glance. the one at the back stick it's head at the bottom area. it turns out waiting for fresh baked poop from the butt and it ate it just like that...

[@BAshley95]

Stay strong, Hank 💜 we appreciate you

[@samsoncooper1]

One fact I didn't know i needed to know was that bat guano contains more protein than a hamburger

[@Cheater357]

Be careful Hank, in this context saying you "prefer somebody else got in front of you in that particular line" could be interpreted in a human centipede type situation.

[@pisscow6395]

Oh no😅

[@jessehunter362]

@@pisscow6395you have no room to stand on this issue, pisscow6395.

[@empichel5690]

Now for a poop tangents episode 🙂