Some Animals Are Cute And Cuddly,...

...but that still does not mean those animals don't have disgusting habits. For example, the panda is an animal that many people think is cute, but a mommy panda literally drinks the baby's poop. It might sound gross, but it does this to prevent predators from sniffing the baby out. That is only one example of a weird thing that an animal does. Rabbits do another gross thing. Once a day, they produce cecotropes. These are soft, shiny pellets containing partially digested food. Once the rabbit produces them, it eats them. As they travel through the gut, the grass that rabbits eat is tough to digest, so eating the cecotropes gives them a second chance to break down the grass and absorb nutrients. Then the rabbit produces a second set of droppings that it doesn't eat. Goats have an interesting way of finding a mate. The male rubs his face and beard in his pee. Then he goes up to the female that interests him the most. The female likes it! She pees too and the buck smells it. If he likes it, he curls up his upper lip and they are a couple. Okay, you want slime now? The hagfish is a funny looking fish. If it sees a predator, it pours mucus out of its body. This clogs the predator's gills. As it struggles to get away, the hagfish has time to escape. Although these habits seem gross to you, they are very important to the animals' survival. That is why you should never make fun of it. For example, is the goat doesn't do what it does, it won't be able to reproduce and pass on its genus.

By Tessa Sagner