from Hacker News

Wombat poop: Scientists reveal mystery behind cube-shaped droppings (2018)

by pm24601 on 2/8/21, 4:58 PM with 16 comments

  • by oconnor663 on 2/8/21, 5:25 PM

    > "It would be a cool method to apply to the manufacturing process," she suggested, "how to make a cube with soft tissue instead of just moulding it."

    I know there's pressure for everyone to argue that their research has practical applications, and this one's probably a long shot, but it would be so cool and hilarious if this ends up being useful.

    Q: How do you refuel the solid rocket boosters on Mars? A: Well first, let me tell you something interesting about wombats...

  • by Brajeshwar on 2/8/21, 5:36 PM

    This article is from 2018. Coincidentally, about a week back, I heard this on the Curiosity Daily Podcast[1].

    1. https://www.curiositydaily.com/why-do-wombats-poop-cubes/

  • by aasasd on 2/8/21, 5:32 PM

    > We opened those intestines up like it was Christmas

    No-context quote of the year?

    Strangely, I'm pretty sure I've read or heard before that wombats have triangular sphincters, and that determines the shitshape.

    Also:

    > The marsupial then stacks the cubes - the higher the better

    Now that must be quite a cartoonish performance.

    (Judging by YouTube's search suggestion, I'm not the only one to take interest in seeing this acrobatic act—however the search results are disappointing.)

  • by nom on 2/8/21, 6:13 PM

    Can't wait for artificial rectums to produce cube shaped pellets of stuff for me!

    No but in all seriousness, it's truly fascinating how nature created it and what we might be able to learn from it. Wombat poop always makes for an interesting topic.

  • by podiki on 2/8/21, 6:01 PM

    As another commenter pointed out, this needs a (2018) in the title. More recent results continued to find out more, looking if the anus shape plays a role [0].

    [0] https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/its-the-wombats-stra...

  • by soegaard on 2/8/21, 6:08 PM

    Is this the inspiration for the Donald Duck story "Lost in the Andes" where the hens lay square eggs.

    Google: donald duck square eggs

  • by HeyZuess on 2/8/21, 10:56 PM

    If there was one damn thing which deserved to stay a mystery this was it, there is no magic left in the world.

  • by krylon on 2/8/21, 5:39 PM

    > "We opened those intestines up like it was Christmas," said co-author David Hu

    He must be fun at parties. ;-)

    > The marsupial then stacks the cubes - the higher the better so as to communicate with and attract other wombats.

    If I was a comedian who specialized in toilet humor (and let's face it - I totally would), I would either quit my job because of this sentence, or (if I was good at it), I would turn it into my next standup routine. I probably could just read the article verbatim and get a few laughs, assuming the audience was not openly hostile.

    Just to be clear, I think this is very interesting, and absolutely a valid area of research. But it is rather funny as well.

    EDIT: Now I wonder - what do wombats try to communicate by stacking poop? This seems like a very existentialist thing to do.