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There are mammals like rabbits that eat their own feces to get a second pass at digestion. Evolution has created an unbelievable amount of diversity in the natu
by akiselev 6y ago
There are mammals like rabbits that eat their own feces to get a second pass at digestion. Evolution has created an unbelievable amount of diversity in the natural world - it's a mistake to judge it by our own immune systems.
- buran77 6y agoGP may have been objecting to the uniqueness of the trait, not its existence.
- justinclift 6y agoNah, I'd just not been able to think off hand of an example of intestinal flora being shared (potentially widely) among members of a species. The rabbits example is a good one to illustrate it already does happen. :)
- thaumasiotes 6y agoAgain, it is already known to be very common in humans.
- justinclift 6y agoYou seem to be saying oral consumption of other people's faeces is common in humans. What's the evidence for this? Personally, I'm aware of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_feces#Fecal_transplants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_feces#Fecal_transplants, but that's all.
- thaumasiotes 6y agoIt is the only reproductive strategy of several major diseases, most notably cholera. So yes, obviously it is common. You know how cholera is notorious for spreading through communities very quickly? Guess how that happens. Intentional consumption of other people's feces is rare, but that's not relevant to anything. If you eat something, it doesn't matter at all whether you wanted to eat it.
- justinclift 6y agoInteresting, thanks. :)