Wombats use square feces to send messages ^{CEFR B2}

A new study led by Scott Carver of the University of Georgia and published in the Journal of Zoology investigates whether square-shaped feces help wombats send information to one another. The research follows earlier work that demonstrated how a wombat’s lower intestine and body shape create cube-like droppings; the current project focuses on the possible communicative function of those cubes.

The researchers note that wombats are largely solitary, yet they repeatedly deposit feces at common latrines and often place droppings around prominent features such as logs or rocks. Because the feces are square, they do not roll away and can remain near the same spot. Student researcher Kate McMahon at the University of Tasmania identified a vomeronasal organ in the skull, an anatomical structure that supports a strong sense of smell and is comparable to scent organs used by cats and snakes.

The team analysed feces with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to detect chemical signatures and identified 44 distinct compounds. They also tested behaviour by moving scat from distant latrines into local ones and monitoring the sites with wildlife cameras; wombats spent more time investigating latrines containing non-resident scats. The authors conclude that the chemical mixtures could allow wombats to learn about identity, sex, age or reproductive status, and they present the study as a baseline for further work on olfactory communication in wombats and other mammals.