It came up in a conversation with one of my friends last night, that there is an animal somewhere in this world that has faeces that are safe for humans to eat. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to eat them, just wanted to see if she was right or wrong and more details about the topic!
2006-10-05 05:13:24 · 8 answers · asked by Lady Starlyte 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Guano is commonly eaten in the deep jungles of Africa (anyone seen ace ventura 2) this is bat's feces.
2006-10-05 13:35:47 · answer #1 · answered by Aquila 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since faeces in general are the waste products of an organism's metabolism, they tend to contain any number of toxins, impurities, disease-causing bacteria, parasites and other nasty business, as well as being pretty disgusting (there's probably a darned good evolutionary reason why we find poop unappealing).
However, there are some critters that different, and simpler metabolisms than our own, and so their waste products do not affect us the same way. Alcohol produced through fermentation is actually a form of bacterial poop - I'm not sure it could really be called 'safe', it can certainly be dangerous if taken in large quantities, but it is entertaining.
Several other of our foods are also flavoured, enhanced or produced through bacteria poop (i.e. yogurt, and the cheese mentioned earlier).
But as far as vertebrates go, there's usually more than just metabolic wastes in there. The possibility of toxins, parasites and other ickiness means that there's pretty much no poop from higher critters that can tagged 'safe'. You might be able to eat an individual poop and have no ill effects whatsoever, but that's no guarantee that you'll be as lucky with the next poop.
I do seem to recall that there is some kind of coffee that gets a special flavour by having been run through the digestive system of a civet, however the beans are thoroughly roasted and boiled after their trip, and I don't think there's any actual faeces left in the drink by the time it's consumed.
I still don't think I'd want to drink it though.
2006-10-05 05:39:01 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, technically, cheese is made from bacterial faeces....or at least, they are the main ingredient that gives it the cheesey flavour!
2006-10-05 05:20:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i regularly eat my own. i find it totally disgusting that anybody would want to eat an animals faeces... i think
2006-10-05 05:16:49 · answer #4 · answered by Troubled Joe(the ghost of) 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Shitake mushrooms!
2006-10-06 03:43:09 · answer #5 · answered by mommakayos 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
U ask Ur friend itself!!!
2006-10-05 06:22:45 · answer #6 · answered by prem 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
human
2015-08-06 20:12:56 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
dogs
2006-10-05 05:17:04 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋