Chinchilla Poop Reveals How Much it Rained

[menagerie]

Chinchilla poop is serving an unlikely purpose in one of the world's driest places, Chile's Atacama Desert. The animals' tiny waste pellets are helping scientists reconstruct the rainfall in the region over the last 14,000 years.

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[Annieo]

I enjoy learning new things. Thanks!

 

[Stackie]

I must live in the wetlands.....

Actually, my state is in a drought right now. :wacko:

 

[Brittany_Lynn]

That's really interesting about the 'middens' where they seal their poop. I wonder if pet chinchillas have that tendency, too? I notice that Sonya likes to poop in one spot...there's a literal pile where she likes to sit and poo.