coprophagy

cop·roph·a·gous   (kŏ-prŏf'ə-gəs)    adj.  Feeding on excrement: coprophagous beetles. cop·roph'a·gy (-ə-jē) n.

Main Entry: co·proph·a·gy
Pronunciation: k&-'präf-&-jE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -gies
: the eating of excrement that is normal behavior among many especially young animals but in humans is a symptom of some forms of insanity —co·proph·a·gist /-&-j&st/ noun —co·proph·a·gous /-&-g&s/ or cop·ro·phag·ic /"käp-r&-'faj-ik/ adjective

coprophagy cop·roph·a·gy (kŏ-prŏf'ə-jē)
n.
See scatophagy.

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cop·roph'a·gous (-gəs) adj.

coprophagy

eating of dung, or feces, considered abnormal among human beings but apparently instinctive among certain members of the order Lagomorpha (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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