coprophagy

coprophagy

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▪ eating behaviour
      eating of dung, or feces, considered abnormal among human beings but apparently instinctive among certain members of the order Lagomorpha (lagomorph) (rabbits and hares) and in at least one leaf-eating primate (genus Lepilemur). It is thought that these animals obtain needed vitamins in this way. The diets of certain insect species, among them the dung beetles and dung flies, are primarily or exclusively coprophagous.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • coprophagy — 1891, from Mod.L. coprophagus, from Gk. koprophagos dung eating, from kopros dung + phagos (see PHAGOUS (Cf. phagous)). Related: Coprophagous …   Etymology dictionary

  • coprophagy — noun The eating of feces. We use coprophagy as the simplest available general term to describe ingestion of the feces, without any implication of cause, circumstances, or the origin or nature of fecal material consumed. Syn: reingestion,… …   Wiktionary

  • coprophagy — koprofagija statusas T sritis ekologija ir aplinkotyra apibrėžtis Gyvūnų maitinimasis kitų gyvūnų išmatomis. atitikmenys: angl. coprophagy; coprophagous vok. Koprophagie, f rus. копрофагия, f …   Ekologijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • coprophagy — noun see coprophagous …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • coprophagy — feeding on faecal material …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • coprophagy — SYN: coprophagia. [copro + G. phago, to eat] * * * co·proph·a·gy kə präf ə jē n, pl gies the eating of excrement that is normal behavior among many esp. young animals but in humans is a symptom of some forms of insanity co·proph·a·gist ə jəst n… …   Medical dictionary

  • coprophagy — n. eating of dung, eating of feces …   English contemporary dictionary

  • coprophagy — [kɒ prɒfədʒi] (also coprophagia ˌkɒprə(ʊ) feɪdʒɪə) noun Zoology the eating of faeces. Derivatives coprophagic adjective coprophagous adjective …   English new terms dictionary

  • coprophagy — co·proph·a·gy …   English syllables

  • coprophagy —   n. feeding on dung.    ♦ coprophagan, n. dung beetle.    ♦ coprophagous, a …   Dictionary of difficult words

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