Wombats Poop Cubes: The Only Animal With Square Droppings

Wombats are the only animals in the world that produce cube shaped poop. These Australian marsupials deposit 80 to 100 perfectly geometric droppings every night, stacking them on rocks, logs, and elevated surfaces to mark their territory. Scientists spent years puzzled by this bizarre adaptation before finally discovering how wombat intestines create these mathematical shapes from what starts as normal digested food.

How Wombats Make Cubes

The cube formation happens in the last 17 percent of the wombat's intestine where varying elasticity of the intestinal walls shapes the feces into cubes. Wombat intestines measure about 9 meters long, and food takes an incredibly slow 14 to 18 days to pass through. During this extended journey, wombats extract almost all moisture from their food, producing the driest feces of any mammal. The intestinal walls have alternating sections of different elasticity. Stiffer sections create flat faces while more flexible sections form the edges. Rhythmic contractions push the waste along, allowing the cube shape to set before the droppings exit. The slow digestion and extreme dehydration make the feces firm enough to hold their cubic shape.

Why Evolution Favored Cubes

Wombats evolved cubic poop as a solution to a communication problem. These solitary animals need to mark territory and communicate with other wombats, but they live in rocky, hilly terrain where round droppings would simply roll away. Cubic poop solves this problem perfectly because cubes do not roll. Wombats deliberately place their droppings on rocks, logs, and other elevated surfaces to make them visible. The cubes stack neatly on top of each other, creating little towers of poop that announce the wombat's presence. These strategic latrine sites help wombats avoid confrontations by showing other wombats where territories are claimed. The higher and more visible the poop stack, the more information it conveys about the resident wombat.

Territory and Communication

Each wombat maintains multiple latrine sites throughout its territory, often having up to 10 different poop stations. They deposit fresh cubes on top of old ones, creating layered piles that can contain hundreds of droppings. The scent and freshness of the cubes tell other wombats important information. Fresh cubes indicate the territory is actively occupied. Old, weathered cubes suggest the resident might be away or weak. During breeding season, the scent of the cubes helps wombats find potential mates. Males can identify females and assess their reproductive status from the chemical signals in their droppings. This sophisticated poop communication system allows wombats to coordinate their solitary lives without direct confrontation.

Wombat Biology and Adaptations

Wombats are powerfully built marsupials adapted for digging extensive burrow systems. They can weigh up to 40 kg and have stocky bodies with short, strong legs. Their backward facing pouches prevent dirt from getting on their young while digging. Wombats are herbivores that primarily eat grasses, sedges, and roots. Their slow metabolism and efficient digestion allow them to survive on very low quality food. The same adaptations that help them extract maximum nutrition and water from poor quality vegetation also create the conditions for cube shaped poop. Their teeth continuously grow throughout their lives to compensate for the wear from chewing tough, fibrous plants.

Three Species With Different Needs

Three wombat species exist, all native to Australia. The common wombat lives throughout southeastern Australia in forest and grassland areas. The southern hairy nosed wombat inhabits the semi arid regions of southern Australia and is considered near threatened due to habitat loss. The northern hairy nosed wombat is critically endangered with fewer than 300 individuals remaining in a single protected site in Queensland. All three species produce cubic droppings, though the size and composition vary slightly based on diet and habitat. Conservation efforts focus on protecting wombat habitat and creating wildlife corridors to connect isolated populations.

Scientific Research and Discovery

Scientists only recently solved the mystery of cubic wombat poop. Researchers from the United States and Australia collaborated to study wombat intestines after roadkill incidents provided specimens. They discovered the varying elasticity of intestinal tissue creates the distinctive cube shape. This research interested engineers because it demonstrates a new way to manufacture cubic shapes without using molds or cutting. The wombat's method of creating corners through differential tissue stiffness could inspire new manufacturing techniques. The researchers even won an Ig Nobel Prize in 2019 for this research, recognizing studies that first make people laugh and then make them think.