Some plateau pikas chow down on yak poop to survive winters | Science News

Winter on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is a hard time for pikas. Temperatures fall below –30° Celsius and food becomes scarce. But in areas where yak and pika overlap, these rabbitlike mammals survive through winter on yak feces. Scientists think the danger of picking up parasites or pathogens from eating poo are outweighed by the benefits of having an abundant, easily digestible source of food when times get tough. Read more: Video: Dusan Boric