Coprophagia is the consumption of feces, from the Greek copro (feces) and phagy (eat). It is instinctively practiced by several animals due to limitations of their digestive system or diets. In extremely rare cases it is practiced by humans. Rabbit feces are usually 0. ...

Coprophagia in non-human animals

Coprophagia is a behavior sometimes observed, with considerable disgust, by dog owners. Hofmeister, Cumming, and Dhein (2001) write that this behavior in animals has not been well-researched, and they are (as of this writing) preparing a study. In a preliminary online paper, they write that there are various theories explaining why animals consume other animals' feces. According to various theories—none proven or disproven—dogs might do this: Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The Dog is a canine carnivorous mammal that has been domesticated for at least 14,000 years and perhaps for as long as 150,000 years based on recent evidence. ...

• To get attention from their owners.
• From anxiety, stress, or having been punished for eliminating.
• From boredom.
• In an attempt to clean up in crowded conditions.
• When dogs observe their owners picking up feces, and imitate this behavior (allelomimetic behavior). This is highly improbable because the behaviour has also been observed in environments where owners never picked up the dog's (or other) feces.
• Because puppies taste everything and discover that feces are edible and, perhaps, tasty.
• Because dogs are, by nature, scavengers, and this is within the range of scavenger behavior.
• To prevent the scent from attracting predators, especially mother dogs eating their offsprings' feces.
• Because the texture and temperature of fresh feces approximates that of regurgitated food, which is how canine mothers in the wild would provide solid food.
• Because of the protein content of the feces (particularly cat feces), or over-feeding, leading to large concentrations of undigested matter in the feces.
• Due to assorted health problems, including:
  • Pancreatitis
  • Intestinal infections
  • Food allergies, creating mal-absorption
• Because they are hungry, such as when eating routines are changed, food is withheld, or nutrients aren't properly absorbed.

Another theory proposes that carnivores sometimes eat the feces of their prey in order to ingest and exude scents which camouflage their own.

Young elephants eat the feces of their mother to obtain the necessary bacteria for the proper digestion of the vegetation found on the savannah. When they are born, their intestines do not contain these bacteria. Without them, these elephants would be unable to get any nutritional value from plants. Hamsters eat their own droppings, this is thought to be important as a source of vitamins B and K. Apes have been observed eating horse droppings for the salt. Monkeys have been observed to eat elephant droppings. Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Stegodon (extinct) Deinotherium (extinct) Mammuthus (extinct) Elephantidae (the elephants) is the only extant family in the order Proboscidea. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria is also the fictional name of a warring nation under Benzino Napaloni as dictator, in the 1940 film The Great Dictator... The intestine is the portion of the alimentary canal extending from the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine. ... Vitamins are organic chemicals that a given living organism requires in trace quantities for good health, but which the organism cannot synthesize, and therefore must obtain from its diet. ... Families Hylobatidae Hominidae Apes are the members of the Hominoidea superfamily of primates, including humans. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The Horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus. ... In chemistry, salt is a general term used for ionic compounds composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. ... For the TV show Monkey see Monkey (TV series) Cynomolgus Monkey at Batu Caves, Malaysia A monkey is any member of two of the three groupings of simian primates. ...

Rabbits, cavies (guinea pigs) and related species have a digestive system adapted for coprophagia. These herbivores do not have the complicated ruminant digestive system, so instead they extract more nutrition from grass by giving their food a second pass through the gut. Soft caecal pellets of partially digested food are excreted and generally consumed immediately. They also produce normal droppings, which are not re-eaten. Genera Pentalagus Bunolagus Nesolagus Romerolagus Brachylagus Sylvilagus Oryctolagus Poelagus The bane of Australian farmers - the wild rabbit An old rabbit trap Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae, found in many parts of the world. ... Species Cavia porcellus Cavia aperea Cavia tschudii Cavia guianae Cavia anolaimae Cavia nana Cavia fulgida Cavia magna Guinea pigs (also called cavies) are rodents belonging to the family Cavidae and the genus Cavia. ... Species Cavia porcellus Cavia aperea Cavia tschudii Cavia guianae Cavia anolaimae Cavia nana Cavia fulgida Cavia magna Guinea pigs (also called cavies) are rodents belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. ... In zoology, an herbivore is an animal that is adapted to eat primarily plant matter (rather than meat). ... A ruminant is any hooved animal that digests its food in two steps, first by eating the raw material and regurgitating a semi-digested form known as cud, then eating the cud. ...

Pigs, both domesticated and wild boars, being omnivorous are known to eat feces of certain herbivores that leave a significant amount of semidigested mater. Pigs also known to eat their own feces and even human feces as well, which is among the reasons of pork tapeworm epidemies among pigs. In certain cultures it was common to collect horse feces rich in undigested grain by poor families to feed their pigs. Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms The domestic pig is usually given the scientific name Sus scrofa, though some authors call it , reserving for the wild boar. ... Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domesticated pig. ... Omnivores are organisms that consume both plants and animals. ... In zoology, an herbivore is an animal that is adapted to eat primarily plant matter (rather than meat). ... Binomial name Taenia solium Taenia solium, also called the pork tapeworm, is a cyclophyllid cestode in the family Taeniidae. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The Horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus. ...

A number of coprophagous insects exist, the most famous probably being scarab, sacred in ancient Egypt and most ubiquitous being flies. Genera not a complete list Agestrata Augosoma Canthon Chalcosoma Chelorrhina Cheirolasia Cheirotonus Cotinis Dynastes Eudicella Goliathus Megsoma Onthophagus Pachnoda Phanaeus Plusiotis Ranzania Rhomborrhina Stephanorrhina Xylotrupes The scarab is a type of beetle noted for rolling dung into spherical balls and pushing it, as well as its habit of laying its... Map of Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt as a general historical term broadly refers to the civilization of the LowerNile Valley, between the First Cataract and the mouths of the Nile Delta, from circa 3300 BC until the conquest of Alexander the Great in 332 BC. As a civilization based on... The Mediterranean fruit fly, or medfly, Ceratitis capitata A fly (plural flies) is any species of insect of the order Diptera, some of which can land on food and transmit bacteria to humans. ...

Coprophagia in humans

Coprophagia is extremely uncommon in humans.

• Behavioral: Coprophagia by humans is generally thought to be the result of mental illness or extreme sexual deviant behavior. It is usually associated with coprophilia. Consuming other people's feces carries the risk of contracting diseases spread through fecal matter, such as hepatitis. Consuming one's own feces potentially involves risk, as the bowel bacteria and eggs of parasitic worms are not safe to ingest. Similar risk can apply to related sexual practices, such as anilingus or inserting an object into the mouth that has recently been in the anus (see ass to mouth).

• Medical: "... consumption of fresh, warm camel feces has been recommended by Bedouins as a remedy for bacterial dysentery; its efficacy (probably attributable to the antibiotic subtilisin from Bacillus subtilis) was confirmed by German soldiers in Africa during World War II." (Lewin, 2001)

The Scream, the famous painting commonly thought of as depicting the experience of mental illness. ... Human sexuality is the expression of sexual feelings. ... Deviant behavior is behavior that is a recognized violation of cultural norms. ... Coprophilia, also known as fecophilia, is a paraphilia consisting of the condition of feeling sexual excitement focused on feces, often in conjunction with BDSM or infantilism. ... Hepatitis is a gastroenterological disease, featuring inflammation of the liver. ... Parasitic worms are worms that are parasitic on animals, including humans. ... Sexual behavior is a form of physical intimacy that may be directed to reproduction (one possible goal of sexual intercourse) and/or to the enjoyment of activity involving sexual gratification. ... 14th century manuscript illustration of the accusations of sodomy against the Knights Templar Anal_oral contact (commonly referred to as anilingus and colloquially known as rimming or tossing salad) is sexual activity involving contact between the anus or perianal areas of one person and the mouth of another. ... Ass to mouth is a colloquial term, in sexology and pornography, for the removal of the penis or another object from the passive partners anus followed by the immediate insertion of the penis or object into the passive partner, or another partners mouth. ...

References

• Hofmeister, Erik, Melinda Cumming, and Cheryl Dhein. 2001. "Owner Documentation of Coprophagia in the Canine." Online website: http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/pets/study.htm. Accessed January 11, 2001.
• Wise TN, and Goldberg RL. "Escalation of a fetish: coprophagia in a nonpsychotic adult of normal intelligence." J Sex Marital Ther. 1995 Winter;21(4):272-5.
• Lewin, Ralph A. "More on Merde" Perspectives in Biology and Medicine - Volume 44, Number 4, Autumn 2001, pp. 594-607
• Pet Behavior Resources - Edited by William E. Campbell, internationally recognized authority on pet dog behavior problems, co-founder of the American Society of Veterinary Ethology
• Stool Eating (Coprophagy) on Pet Education - Holly Nash, DVM, MS
• Why Does My Dog Eat Feces? - Theresa A. Fuess, Ph.D, College of Vet Medicine
• COPROPHAGIA IN THE CANINE - Erik Hofmeister; Melinda Cumming, DVM PhD; Cheryl Dhein, DVM, MS, DACVIM; Douglas Island Veterinary Service; detailed preliminary results of study of behavior and prevention in dogs

External links

• King County, Washington, Animal Control Section. "Eating His Own or Other Animal Feces."
• Tomball Veterinary Clinic. "Coprophagia."
• Michal Justis. "Coprophagia (eating feces) and other Feces Problems."
• Jocelyn Toner. "Coprophagia - the unfortunately palatable truth."
• Scat FAQ (WARNING! Contains material relating to the practice of human coprophagia)
• StraightDope The dope on the subject - a little disturbing but funny.