Young panda, elephant, and hippo eat the faeces of their mother
The consumption of feces is described as Coprophagia. Some animal species eat feces as a normal behavior; other species may not normally consume feces but do so under very unusual conditions.
The young of elephants, giant pandas, koalas, and hippos eat the feces of their mothers or other animals in the herd to obtain the bacteria required to properly digest vegetation found on their ecosystems. When they are born, their intestines do not contain these bacteria, they are sterile.
Without them, they would be unable to obtain any nutritional value from plants.
Also, in the wild they either bury or eat waste to protect their trail from predators. Mother's of certain species are known to eat the feces of their newborn young during the earliest phase after birth, presumably to eliminate cues to potential predators and to keep the den clean.
The young of elephants, giant pandas, koalas, and hippos eat the feces of their mothers or other animals in the herd to obtain the bacteria required to properly digest vegetation found on their ecosystems. When they are born, their intestines do not contain these bacteria, they are sterile.
Without them, they would be unable to obtain any nutritional value from plants.
Also, in the wild they either bury or eat waste to protect their trail from predators. Mother's of certain species are known to eat the feces of their newborn young during the earliest phase after birth, presumably to eliminate cues to potential predators and to keep the den clean.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
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