Capybaras, guinea pigs, chinchillas, hamsters, and rabbits are some of the animals that are coprophagic. That’s a dignified way to say they eat their own poop. I found this great article that explains why this helps digestion in capybaras. There is a great big microorganism (oxymoron, I know) in their poop that helps them digest coarse grass, which is something humans can’t do.

I must confess that I stole this entire article. It was written in Portuguese because so much capybara research is done in Brazil. The author did some translating, and I used Google Translate for the graphics. (I’m assuming most people’s Portuguese is even worse than mine.) I also added a Wikipedia link.

I recommend that you check out the original article. Most of the graphics and screenshots are clickable links to the original and will open it on another browser window. If they offer an option to translate it, go for it. Portuguese is not as easy as you might expect.

Here we go!

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Translation of Figure 1:

South America

1m = 39.37″

90kg = 198.42 pounds (wow!)

Capybara Digestive System
Microorganisms

Stomach
Small Intestine
Cecum
Large Intestine

Translation of Figure 2:

Paramecium sp. (species)
Typical size of protozoa (3mm = .12″)

Protozoa
The majority of the microbial community

Cecum

Muni
The giant protozoan

Translation of Figure 3:

Why do capybaras eat their own feces?

1 Capybaras feed on grasses, fruits, and tree bark.
2 Most of the food is not digested in the stomach or absorbed in the small intestine.
3 Food is digested by microorganisms in the cecum.
4 Cecum — located after the absorption region (the small intestine).
5 Capybaras produce a special type of feces—cecotropes—which are ingested, digested in the stomach, and absorbed in the small intestine.

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