Coprophagia Lecture Notes

Definition and Overview

Coprophagia: The consumption of feces. It stems from Ancient Greek kopros (feces) and phagen (to eat).
Types:
- Heterospecifics: Eating feces of other species.
- Allocoprophagy: Eating feces of other individuals.
- Autocoprophagy: Eating one's own feces.
Common in some animal species as normal behavior; other species may engage in this behavior only under certain conditions.

Some carnivorous plants, such as pitcher plants (genus Nepenthes), obtain nutrition from feces.
Example: Nepenthes jamban (Jamban is the Indonesian word for toilet).
Manure: Organic matter used as fertilizer, derived from animal feces.

Insects:
- Coprophagous insects like dung flies (Scathophaga stercoraria) consume feces primarily from herbivores.
- These feces contain semidigested food due to inefficient digestion in large animals.
Beetles:
- Dung beetles feed on the microorganism-rich liquid in dung.
- Lay eggs in dung balls, composed mostly of fibrous material.
Earwigs: Allo-coprophagy helps promote growth of gut bacteria and provides food during scarcity.
Termites: Proctodeal feeding involves eating feces for hindgut protists, essential for cellulose digestion.
Lagomorphs (e.g., rabbits): Ferment fiber in their cecums, expelling it as cecotropes to be reingested, known as cecotrophy.
Domesticated Animals: Dogs may eat feces to supplement missing digestive enzymes.
Cattle: Fed chicken litter, raising concerns about mad-cow disease linked to bone meal in feed.
Young of elephants, koalas, and others eat feces to obtain bacteria for digestion.
Pigs and Small Mammals: Eat droppings for vitamins B and K produced by gut bacteria.

Historically observed in individuals with mental illnesses and some sexual acts (e.g., anilingus).
Cultural variations:
- Inuit cuisine uses feces of rock ptarmigan.
- Beverages like Kopi Luwak and Black Ivory Coffee use animal feces in production.
Sexual Interest: DSM-5 lists coprophilia as a paraphilia where feces are a sexual interest.

Historical Practices:
- Ayurveda and Siddha medicine use animal excreta.
- Anecdote about camel feces as a remedy for dysentery during WWII, likely a myth.
Modern Considerations:
- Used by elephant caretakers in Laos for treating gastrointestinal and skin issues.