Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: thedoc on 16/02/2010 18:33:55
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Are humans the only animal that needs to wipe its’ bottom?
Asked by Harry, Brisbane Australia
Read the naked scientists answer here (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/questions/question/2559/)
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Helen - That’s really a good question actually, do other animals have to keep themselves hygienic in that particular area? As far as we know, we haven’t found any animals that actually have invented a tool for keeping themselves clean in that way. There maybe jokes about bears and rabbits but they are just jokes.
Chris - Isn’t it called their tongue?
Helen - Exactly. I think most animals do actually just keep themselves clean by washing themselves. You know what cats can do - they've got the clever trick of putting their leg behind their neck and they keep themselves clean that way. Another thing some people with cats and dogs might have noticed is their pets doing something called "scooting", which is dragging their ass across the ground. Often pet owners get worried about why their dog or cat might be doing this - it is often after they’ve been to the toilet and they wonder if it’s something connected to it.
Chris - They usually wait until they’ve got into the room with the best and the most expensive carpet...
Helen - Well there are various factors like that to consider. But veterinary surgeons really think that it’s likely to be a parasitic infection, it could be worms, they are feeling very itchy and they want to scratch themselves. It’s also could be an infection of something that is charmingly called the anal glands which are something many predatory animals have. Either side of the anus they have these glands which produce scent chemicals. It is where a skunk produces smell from and it’s what makes a fox turd smell like a fox turd and dog turds like a dog turd, and so on. They use that to mark their territory when they are defecating. If those get infected they can also be quite painful and that’s why dogs and cats can drag themselves along the ground as well. And if your pet does seem to be doing that it’s probably best to take them to the vet and get that sorted out.
So no, I don’t think any animals actually use toilet paper but if they need to they will keep themselves clean in other ways.
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Listen to the answer to this question on our podcast. (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts/show/2010.02.14/)
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Humans do not need to wipe their bottom, we just choose to as it feels more comfortable to not have too much poo between your bum cheeks, and if you wear clothes, poo can get on them if it's left around unremoved. So it's a choice not a need, sorry for being pedantic!
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While we are on this topic, on researching koalas, I discovered that baby koalas eat their mothers excrement to build their immune system.
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Coprophagia is actually quite common. The sort you describe, in herbivores including Koalas, is not connected to their immune system per se, but actually to the establishment of the correct gut flora to enable them to digest the types of plant material the adults ingest. Koalas only eat Eucalyptus, and there will be fairly specific bacteria which are able to break down these leaves so that the animal can get nutrition out of them.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprophagia for examples of more coprophagia.
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Thanks john.. now I have a name for it :)
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Well, its not exactly Andrex, more Macadam (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pARH-jsRt3U) Though it could be worse...... Carpet!
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Originally nature (God?) made us pefect so we DO NOT NEED toilet paper. Howver humans are the only animals on this planet that deffecate in a COMPLETELY WRONG POSTURE. We are physically made to do the job in SQUAT position, not SITTING on the toilet. That is how it is been since the begining of time. The proof is that even today children instinctively squat to deffecate untill... we teach them to sit on the potty or on the toilet.
In squat position the rectum straightens, the puborectal sling is relaxed, the buttocks are set wide apart so the anal opening is free to extend out and expell the waste WITHOUT MESSING YOU UP.
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Might be true for cats but most animals cant reach their mouth to their anus. Ex. My dog, a hippo, elephant, bears, goats, well jsut about everyone outside felines.
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When we are eating and hydrating properly, our poop leaves no residue around the anus. Toilet paper is not soiled. No residue......
Trouble is we don't eat properly, fiber-wise, or hydrate enough for the fiber content we should be getting. We also eat too many sugars and that causes an imbalance in gut bacteria and flora that causes us to become loose in our stools, requiring a cleaning of the anus.
Constipation results from too much fiber without enough water and this produces hard stools that one must strain to pass, causing hemorrhoids, diverticulosis and fissures. Too much alcohol will also dehydrate us and create hard stools, but the sugars in wine and beer can also predominate, creating the gut imbalance and diarrhea. The too hard stools of constipation also leave no residue. A proper poop should pass easily and leave no residue. If this is not what you experience, you need to change your diet and/or hydration.
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In the natural world human babies who are born facing their mothers anus and tend to consume some of their mothers excrement which could contribute to a healthy gut flora.
In a medically controlled environment the mothers are made to lie on their backs and attendants grasp the baby as it comes out and prevent it ingesting any of the mothers faeces.
I wonder if this is a good thing.
The link posted by JohnCompostCo makes reference to this in relation to Elephants
PS Chimpanzees been observed to use leaves to wipe their backsides after producing wet stools
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http://viz.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/020_04012014_09-43.png
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I am always surprised at the lack of bidets in the UK and USA even the most fancy bathroom installations advertised do not include them while on the EU mainland they are common.
Is this because bidets are somewhat sexually stimulating which is anathema in prudish countries or do people really like spreading faeces about their buttocks.