The Mystery of Wombat Poop Solved, As Scientists Witness Square Peg Exit Round Hole

At long last, a bit of good news for square lovers as scientists at the University of Tasmania finally crack the enigma of the four-cornered poop. Considered completely novel within the animal kingdom, the perfectly cubed dung-cakes of a wombat, shaped (but not flavored) like a petit four, has baffled scientists for decades. Utilizing sophisticated laboratory testing and mathematical modeling, a team of researchers recently unraveled the mysterious inner-workings behind the amazing structures these furry marsupials have been building Down Under.

According to wildlife ecologist and poop specialist, Scott Carver of the study, “These cubes are formed within the last 17 percent of the colon intestine,” where special muscles then extract the most nutrients out of the digestion process over a period of eight days. During this time, the muscles shape the poo within the soft tube where it hardens before exiting. The discovery of this process reveals, “an entirely new way of manufacturing cubes.” Smores anyone?

Unlike cats, who bury their feces under dirt and debris, the bare-nosed wombat proudly displays its handiwork in areas of prominence, such as atop rocks, astride logs, and on the walls of modern art museums in Melbourne. In the case of wombat poo, nature has once again risen to the level of art. If only Picasso had lived to see this moment.

Cover Photo: Patrick Herzog (Getty Images)

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