Maria Ny’s Ask Auntie Antelope Blog

Coprophagia is defined as the consumption of poop. Little research has been done on this particular behavior, so veterinarians can only guess why dogs do this. However, dogs aren’t the only animals that eat poop. Many other animals eat poop on a regular basis including rodents, gorillas, many insects such as dung beetles and flies.

Herbivores such as rabbits and rodents eat their own poop because their diet of plants is hard to digest efficiently, and they have to make two passes at it to get everything out of the meal. This is equivalent to a cow chewing its cud. However, because a cow has four stomachs, they are able to re-eat their food without having to poop it out first. Deer, moose and other four-stomached herbivores also chew their cud.

Many animals, including dogs, eat poop because poop contains vitamins produced by the intestinal bacteria that the animal can’t absorb through the intestinal wall. So, they get these vitamins by eating poop. Another reason that some animals, including dogs, eat poop is because poop contains protein. Dogs are particularly fond of cat poop because cat poop is high in protein.

Sometimes dogs may eat poop out of boredom; others may observe other dogs eating it and imitate the behavior. It may be a way of getting attention because owner tends to reprimand them and, therefore, pay attention to the animal. A female dog will eat the poop of her pups as a way to keep the den clean and reventing the scent of the poop from attracting predators. Some particularly dominant dogs may eat other dogs’ poop order to remove it, and therefore remove other dogs’ presence. This is because poop is one way in which dogs mark territory.

Some scientists believe that eating poop is just a trait passed down to dogs from their ancestors. Coyotes and wolves have been known to eat their own poop during food shortages, and have also been known to eat the poop of herbivores which contain many of the B vitamins. Starving dogs will eat their own poop, as well.

It may even be possible that there is no theory or particular reason why dogs eat poop. They may do it simply because it tastes good to them. Whatever reason they do it, try to keep them from eating poop because many parasites, including giardia, coccidia, roundworms and whipworms, can be transmitted through dog and cat poop. Additionally, clumping litter can pose a health threat to dogs if they eat it. Think of what the litter does when a cat urinates in it. Similar things may happen in a dog’s stomach if it eats enough of the litter.

Rattlesnakes rattle to frighten away intruders. It also serves as a warning that the snake is about to strike. Typically, the snake will try avoid human encounters because it only hunts for prey which it can swallow whole like rabbits, squirrels and other small rodents.

Rattlesnakes generally will not strike at a large animal or human unless they feel threatened. If startled or provoked, rattlesnakes may bite without coiling up and rattling an advanced warning. A coiled snake can strike quickly and has a range of approximately 1/2 to 2/3 its total body length. But, it doesn’t have to be coiled to be able to strike.

There are nearly 50 different rattlesnake species and numerous subspecies recognized in the United States. They are sometimes identified by the jointed rattles at the ends of their tails. However, newborns don’t have rattles yet, and the rattles can be lost to predators or by other means. So, the presence or absense of rattles is not the most reliable way of identifying rattlesnakes.

The following are generally more reliable ways of identifying rattlesnakes: the shape of their heads, vertical pupils in their eyes, and the two facial pits between the eyes and nostrils.

The facial pits are why rattlesnakes are classified as part of the “pit viper” family. These highly-sensitive pits detect the body heat emanating from warm-blooded animals. They can determine how big the animal is, as well as being able to detect prey in complete darkness.

Most rattlesnakes live in the southwestern United States. But, there are numerous species and subspecies that extend north, east and south, so there is at least one variety in every contiguous state. The coloring and pattern of the snake’s skin, size of the snake and geographical location can help you identify the particular rattlesnake species or subspecies.

All rattlesnakes are venomous, but the venom is different among rattlesnakes species and subspecies. As a result, treatment for rattlesnake bites differs depending on what rattlesnake species or subspecies bit the victim. Proper identification of the sanke will help medical professionals and poison control centers know how to best treat a snake-bite victim.

The best way to avoid being bitten is to avoid an encounter altogether. Watch your step around fallen logs or boulders, and be cautious when near rocky outcroppings and ledges where rattlesnakes may be hiding or sunning themselves. If you do encounter a rattlesnake, be sure to give it plenty of room to retreat.

Opossums are actually immune to the venom of many pit vipers including rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths. The reason for this immunity is due to the ntihemorrhagic and antineurotoxic antibodies in their blood.

Opossums are considered ophiophagous mammals, meaning that they are snake-eating mammals. There are other snake-eating mammals such as the skunk and mongoose, birds such as snake eagles, the Secretary Bird, and some hawks, lizards such as monitor lizards, and even other snakes, such as the Central and South American mussuranas and the North American common kingsnake. The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) has been found to have the most resistance towards snake venom. This immunity is not acquired and has probably evolved as an adaptation to predation by venomous snakes in their habitat.

An animal that is sometimes erroneously considered to be immune to snake venom is the pig. While pigs generally do not die from snake venom, they are not immune to snake venom. Instead the venom is typically absorbed by the pig’s subcutaneous fat layer. But, if the snake bite is not promptly treated, the pig can die or lose a limb due to infection. Snakes have a lot of bacteria in their mouths, which inflict very dirty bites.

There are actually only four well-known living species of cat that can roar: the lion, tiger, jaguar and leopard. This comprises about half the Pantherinae subfamily–the big (roaring) cats.

Up to the present time, the accepted theory was that the ridgity or flexibility of the hyoid bone (a U-shaped bone in the throat suspended above the larynx) was the main determining factor on whether or not a cat could roar. This was because each of the four roaring cats have a flexible segment in their hyoid bone. And, non-roaring species (cheetahs, clouded leopards and all small cats) have inflexible, fully-ossified hyoid bones. However, this theory was subsequently shot down due to the fact that snow leopards have the same flexible hyoid bones as the roaring cats, but they can’t roar. So, more studies needed to be done.

After much research, scientists have recently determined that the reason lions, tigers, jaguars and leopards can roar and no other species can is actually due to other morphological features, especially of the larynx. To test this theory, they compared the larynx of each of the four roaring cats with those of several species of non-roaring cats (most notably the snow leopard, but also several species of small cats). They found that while a snow leopard has similar undivided thyroartenoid folds and that its larynx is similar in size to that of a small jaguar, they lack the pad of fibro-elastic tissue that increase the length and mass of its vocal fold which roaring cats have.

This pad of fibro-elastic tissue is what allows roaring cats the gradual transition of sound energy from a high to a low air resistence resulting in a better transfer of acoustical energy which efficiently radiates the sound. In short, the sound-producing mechanism of the snow leopard and all other non-roaring cats is less efficient due to shorter vocal folds, and poorer due to the lack of ability to radiate sound because they don’t have the pad of fibro-elastic tissue. This is why snow leopards, clouded leopards, cheetahs and small (purring) cats can’t roar.

Source: The larynx of roaring and non-roaring cats, M.H. Hast, J Anat. 1989 April; 163: 117–121.

No, contrary to popular belief, ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand. This myth may have resulted from the fact that when lying down and hiding from predators, these birds are known to lay their head and neck flat on the ground. They also do this when incubating eggs to remain as inconspicuous as possible so they don’t give away the location of their nest and eggs. But, because the head and neck are lightly colored and blend in with the soil, their bodies are all that is visible when viewed from a distance, so it looked like they were burying their heads in the sand.

The myth of an ostrich burying its head in the sand when danger approaches is so strongly embedded in people’s cultures that even the nickname “ostrich” is used for someone who is unwilling to face unpleasant facts. But, this is far from the truth where it relates to real ostriches because an ostrich can and will defend itself quite effectively with a 4-inch claw on each foot, and a kick powerful enough to kill a lion. But, typically they will outrun their predators because they are the fastest running birds in the world, reaching a speed of up to 43 mph (70 kph) and maintaining a speed of about 31 mph (50 kph) for several miles. Now, that’s a fast bird, isn’t it?