Why do wombats have cube-shaped poo?
Wombats produce cube-shaped droppings because the walls of their intestines stretch unevenly, moulding the faeces into cubes with flat sides and corners near the end of digestion.
Scientists studying wombat intestines found that some sections are stiffer and others more elastic. As contractions push the faeces through, these uneven regions shape them into cubes, about two centimetres wide.
Wombats have a very slow digestion, taking up to two weeks, which removes most of the water. This makes the droppings dry and firm enough to hold their shape.
Why cubes help
Wombats use droppings to mark territory, placing them on rocks, logs and raised spots. Cubes are less likely to roll away, so the scent markers stay in place.
A wombat can produce around 80 to 100 cubes each night.
The research earned an Ig Nobel Prize in 2019.
Wombats are the only known animals that produce cube-shaped droppings. The common wombat lives in forests of southeastern Australia and Tasmania, while the northern hairy-nosed wombat is critically endangered, surviving mainly in Epping Forest National Park in Queensland. Engineers studying the wombat's gut have suggested its method could inspire new ways of manufacturing shaped objects from soft materials.
Did You Know?
Australia has three wombat species: the common wombat and two hairy-nosed wombats.