Animals - Animal types and traits - Wombat biology - Animal communication
What unusual shape does wombat feces have?
Correct!
Wombats are the only known animals that produce cube-shaped feces. The shape is formed in the intestine rather than only at the moment of excretion. Research shows that regions with different elasticity in the final section of the intestine gradually shape the material during digestion. The angular droppings may also be useful: wombats use feces for communication and marking, among other things, and cubes are less likely to roll away from elevated surfaces. The exact evolutionary reason for this unusual trait is not fully understood.
The study describes shape formation in the final section of the intestine; the precise evolutionary reason for the cubes remains unresolved.
