18K views · 186 reactions | Why do baby rhinos eat their mom's faeces? Coprophagia - Baby rhinos do not have the necessary microorganisms in their guts to digest plant materials when they are born. The only way for them to get the required digestive bacteria is to eat their mother's faeces. #RhinoFriday | Graeme Mitchley - Wildlife Photographer | Facebook

This poop eating behaviour may seem gross to some people. However, coprophagia is well documented in many species as faeces often contain valuable nutrients that aren’t taken up by the host animal. This spotted hyena was feeding on some fresh wild dog scat. This hyena looks a little skinny and was probably looking for some nutrients. Coprophagia may help animals get extra calories when their usual food sources are limited or acquire nutrients that are hard to come by in their regular diet. Poop