Winter feast of feces | Science

Cold temperatures and greatly reduced resources are challenging for small mammalian species. Pikas are rabbit relatives that live at high altitudes and survive through winter without recourse to hibernation at temperatures that often dip below −30°C. Speakman et al. found that plateau pikas, Ochotona curzoniae, reduced their daily energy expenditure over winter by nearly 30% through thyroid-regulated lowered body temperature and reduced activity. However, if domestic yaks were present, pikas were able to save more energy by consuming yak feces. This cross-species coprophagy resulted in convergence of yak and pika gut microbiota and allowed the small mammals to thrive in the presence of their large, supposed competitors.

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 118, e2100707118 (2021).