It’s the wombat’s strange intestines, not its anus, that produces cubed poo

"Our research finally proves that you really can fit a square peg through a round hole."

Read the whole story

 

[southward]

99% certain this is the first time I've read the phrase "typical wombat latrine"

Well, so much for my memorable high-entropy passphrase.

 

[Ben G]

Talking about wombats being hit by cars is a common thing, sure enough.... dying from it, not guaranteed. The fuckers can write off a car, get up and walk away from it... Strong bone structure on the head.

(ok, they probably did die later, but its still disconcerting)

If I remember right from my visit to the Sydney zoo, they actually have a very strong bone structure on the backside. That way a wombat can go headfirst into a hole as a defensive posture.

 

[llanitedave]

Now if I can just figure out how to do that myself, I'll have a sure-fire party trick! All the ladies will be impressed.

 

[noogie600]

Australian farmers would love more research into how to discourage wombats from burrowing under fences.
They have been likened to "bulldozers" and to them fences are a mere inconvenience to be burrowed under. That then unfortunately opens up the pasture for the cavalry to come in and strip the pasture.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018- ... a/10242142

 

[SeanJW]

Talking about wombats being hit by cars is a common thing, sure enough.... dying from it, not guaranteed. The fuckers can write off a car, get up and walk away from it... Strong bone structure on the head.

(ok, they probably did die later, but its still disconcerting)

If I remember right from my visit to the Sydney zoo, they actually have a very strong bone structure on the backside. That way a wombat can go headfirst into a hole as a defensive posture.

Probably both - I've certainly see how much damage they can do to a car.

 

[Whackamole]

This is proof positive one has to really know their $hit to win a Nobel prize!

My best reading comes from Jennifer O.
Thank you.
R

 

[dobrien75]

As an Aussie I can confirm that wombats are fricking awesome and my spirit animal

Also, they do poo a platonic solid

 

[Deleted member 35894]

How does the wombat leave cubic poops?

That's right, it's the square hole!

 

[TechCrazy]

Instead of Poop articles how about an article about Bombardier Beatles.
Shoots Formic acid out of its butt.


https://youtu.be/TgqF-ND2XcY

 

[Fatesrider]

It's comforting, in an oddly inappropriate way, to think I'm not the only one who ever shits a brick.

 

[Marakai]

On our property, down by the dams we have an area that we've let revert to an all-natural state. Wild growth with fallen trees and brambles, lots of hideyholes.

One of the great days was when I was checking down there and saw some square poop at the end of pressed down grass that led into the deepest parts of the thickets. We knew a wombat had moved in!

I have yet to see it: they're really nocturnal and during the day the roos own the area and wedge tail eagles patrol about.

Sadly, many are ill: they are extremely susceptible to dog mange and pick it up from strays. :'(

 

[Asvarduil]

It's comforting, in an oddly inappropriate way, to think I'm not the only one who ever shits a brick.

This just in: Fatestrider is a wombat.

Please don't twerk me to death. Death by Miley Cyrus is a poor way to go.

 

[Faceless Man]

According to Scott Carver:

They wombats place these feces at prominent points in their home range, such as around a rock or a log, to communicate with each other.

What are they communicating? Is there a syntax of cubical poo placement involved? Are there dialects of wombat cubical poo language? If wombats communicate in cubical poo, what does swearing look like? What is the wombat equivalent of "Bullshit!"? Do wombats sometimes stack their cubical poo? Would that take wombat communication to a whole new level?

It’s basically just a scent marker, so it’s only really saying “Kilroy wuz ‘ere”. (Very bad at spelling, wombats. Ref: Ruth Park)

That’s one theory as to why they’re cubical, so they don’t roll away.

 

[hagmanti]

According to Scott Carver:

They wombats place these feces at prominent points in their home range, such as around a rock or a log, to communicate with each other.

What are they communicating? Is there a syntax of cubical poo placement involved? Are there dialects of wombat cubical poo language? If wombats communicate in cubical poo, what does swearing look like? What is the wombat equivalent of "Bullshit!"? Do wombats sometimes stack their cubical poo? Would that take wombat communication to a whole new level?

It’s basically just a scent marker, so it’s only really saying “Kilroy wuz ‘ere”. (Very bad at spelling, wombats. Ref: Ruth Park)

That’s one theory as to why they’re cubical, so they don’t roll away.

So to make life harder for dung beetles?

 

[graylshaped]

It's comforting, in an oddly inappropriate way, to think I'm not the only one who ever shits a brick.

Pics, or it didn't happen.






Also, I don't really want pics.

 

[beosjim]

I think I would name a pet wombat "Lego".

 

[Faceless Man]

According to Scott Carver:

They wombats place these feces at prominent points in their home range, such as around a rock or a log, to communicate with each other.

What are they communicating? Is there a syntax of cubical poo placement involved? Are there dialects of wombat cubical poo language? If wombats communicate in cubical poo, what does swearing look like? What is the wombat equivalent of "Bullshit!"? Do wombats sometimes stack their cubical poo? Would that take wombat communication to a whole new level?

It’s basically just a scent marker, so it’s only really saying “Kilroy wuz ‘ere”. (Very bad at spelling, wombats. Ref: Ruth Park)

That’s one theory as to why they’re cubical, so they don’t roll away.

So to make life harder for dung beetles?

They know what they did...

 

[Asvarduil]

It's comforting, in an oddly inappropriate way, to think I'm not the only one who ever shits a brick.

Pics, or it didn't happen.






Also, I don't really want pics.

Building off another quote, I don't want pics of Fatesrider twerking...

 

[Faceless Man]

It's comforting, in an oddly inappropriate way, to think I'm not the only one who ever shits a brick.

Pics, or it didn't happen.






Also, I don't really want pics.

Building off another quote, I don't want pics of Fatesrider twerking...

Certainly not at the same time.

 

[Papewaio]

As an Aussie I can confirm that wombats are fricking awesome and my spirit animal

Also, they do poo a platonic solid

I think all poo should be platonic - no touching.

 

[graylshaped]

It's comforting, in an oddly inappropriate way, to think I'm not the only one who ever shits a brick.

Pics, or it didn't happen.






Also, I don't really want pics.

Building off another quote, I don't want pics of Fatesrider twerking...

They are out there, though.

 

[hagmanti]

They are out there, though.

Are you saying you had a particularly memorable weekend?

 

[bburdge]

I wonder if the cuboid shape would be related to the need to extract the most water. Spherical/Lozenge shapes will have a lower surface area to volume ratio than a cuboid.

Seems to me at least that since water could only be reclaimed at the surface having a higher amount of surface area for a given volume would make it easier to extract.

 

[graylshaped]

They are out there, though.

Are you saying you had a particularly memorable weekend?

I'll let you know on Monday.

 

[squidfritters]

Apologies to Ursula Vernon, but I can't read this article without hearing Digger saying, "Well, of course, but we don't talk about it."

 

[SubWoofer2]

Probably both - I've certainly see how much damage they can do to a car.

Seems to be a thing that journalists at the scene of "I swerved to avoid an animal" accidents report on the condition of the vehicle occupants but hardly ever say what happened to the animal? Having been the pinball in the middle of a five-car pile-up and after the Intensive Care my brother-in-law still wonders, "what happened to the dog which that driver swerved to avoid?"

The exception seems to be when horses are involved.

Wombats. You don't want to hit them. It's fifty/fifty who comes off worse.

More on scent in the lives of wombats:

Spoiler

Individuals appeared not to defecate at random.

Many pellets were dropped at the entrance to or around burrows. Pellets not associated with burrows were usually placed on top of a raised object such as a small log, rock, or grass sod. Groups of pellets were also located in the vicinity of the base of trees. Wombats were also observed to scrape the grass away from a patch of ground and then deposit their faeces beside or on this bare earth.

Having poor eyesight and living in thickets and burrows, the trees thing by wombats makes sense to me: "Look for tree (large; obscures sun). Go to it. Inspect base. Find out what's happening in the neighborhood." Dog owners will understand.

 

[GottaSaySomething]

OMG! My dad always says that "if our dog had a square a$$, we'd have a brick house."

He'll have to change his saying -- "if we had a wombat for a pet, we'd have a brick house." You don't even need the square a$$ . . .

Or maybe I know what to get him for his birthday?

Re-read the article--can't believe I missed this the first time through :

According to a new paper published in the journal Soft Matter

Ms. Ouellette -- you've made my weekend!

Can someone tell me what word is meant by "a$$" please? I can't crack the code.... oh wait is he saying... no. He wouldn't? Not on a good forum like this!

He's saying "ass" isn't he (sorry) - and he thinks using dollar signs makes it better?!?

Hang the ba$tard.

 

[xnef1025]

This is probably why you should never fill out your grant requests when stoned. You go to bed laughing, and wake up dedicated to studying wombat poo for the next however many years.

 

[jsjohnms]

Best shitpost ever.

 

[TheGerm]

I think I would name a pet wombat "Lego".

That is what I called the dog an ex-girlfriend had... cuz it wouldn't "Lego" me leg... damn mutt...

 

[SlowJoeCrow]

Finally some good sh*t

 

[SeanJW]

I think I would name a pet wombat "Lego".

Garby.

What? Am I the only one who has had Dinotrucks on the Netflix playlist?

 

[wheelmccoy]

Sounds like a shoe-in for an Ignoble Award!

But why are you letting the wombat poop in your shoes?

For Science!

Or for Shinola!

 

[SeanJW]

Probably both - I've certainly see how much damage they can do to a car.

Seems to be a thing that journalists at the scene of "I swerved to avoid an animal" accidents report on the condition of the vehicle occupants but hardly ever say what happened to the animal? Having been the pinball in the middle of a five-car pile-up and after the Intensive Care my brother-in-law still wonders, "what happened to the dog which that driver swerved to avoid?"

The exception seems to be when horses are involved.

Wombats. You don't want to hit them. It's fifty/fifty who comes off worse.

More on scent in the lives of wombats:

Spoiler

Individuals appeared not to defecate at random.

Many pellets were dropped at the entrance to or around burrows. Pellets not associated with burrows were usually placed on top of a raised object such as a small log, rock, or grass sod. Groups of pellets were also located in the vicinity of the base of trees. Wombats were also observed to scrape the grass away from a patch of ground and then deposit their faeces beside or on this bare earth.

Having poor eyesight and living in thickets and burrows, the trees thing by wombats makes sense to me: "Look for tree (large; obscures sun). Go to it. Inspect base. Find out what's happening in the neighborhood." Dog owners will understand.

Most accidents don't report on the conditions of animals because "red smear across several metres with a messy pile of guts at the end" is really not what most journos want to be giving their readers.

 

[Roamer]

On our property, down by the dams we have an area that we've let revert to an all-natural state. Wild growth with fallen trees and brambles, lots of hideyholes.

Sadly, many are ill: they are extremely susceptible to dog mange and pick it up from strays. :'(

Fox are also susceptible to mange, and some will put out food for the fox with Ivermectin to cure the mange. Might work for wombats. Consult a vet for dosage.

 

[SeanJW]

On our property, down by the dams we have an area that we've let revert to an all-natural state. Wild growth with fallen trees and brambles, lots of hideyholes.

Sadly, many are ill: they are extremely susceptible to dog mange and pick it up from strays. :'(

Fox are also susceptible to mange, and some will put out food for the fox with Ivermectin to cure the mange. Might work for wombats. Consult a vet for dosage.

Herpes is a common problem for wombats, same way chlamydia is for koalas. Usually makes them more susceptible to mange.

 

[HungaryMan7]

Talking about wombats being hit by cars is a common thing, sure enough.... dying from it, not guaranteed. The fuckers can write off a car, get up and walk away from it... Strong bone structure on the head.

(ok, they probably did die later, but its still disconcerting)

Makes sense. Was wondering how they survive being relatively fast while having poor eyesight. Hard heads apparently.

 

[FlibberyGiveit]

a hiker from the city asked the old farmer what those round dark green pellets on the ground were and the old man said "Smart pills. Take one."
So the hiker ate one and excitedly remarked that they tasted like shit.
And the old man said "See how fast they work?"
.
Goats, sheep produce pellets when healthy, their poops are about pill size things, nothing like dog leavings.
Edit, my opinion is that this is an adaptation that removes as much water as possible from the sheep shit so that they won't have to go drink water as often.I
Edit two precision, changed feces to sheep shit.

 

[Oldmanalex]

My fascination is mixed with disgust at their blatant trolling for a second Ignobel.

 

[cynyc2]

I wonder if the cuboid shape would be related to the need to extract the most water. Spherical/Lozenge shapes will have a lower surface area to volume ratio than a cuboid.

Seems to me at least that since water could only be reclaimed at the surface having a higher amount of surface area for a given volume would make it easier to extract.

I am glad for them, that they don't poop 3 sided pyramids...