Reingestion in the Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit

Abstract

It has long been known that the domestic rabbit produces both hard and soft fecal pellets (Morot, 1882). The hard pellets are the normal waste product of the digestive tract and are the feces one finds in the field. The soft pellets are a special product of the caecum, and the rabbit takes them directly from its anus and swallows them whole. Morot's observations went virtually unnoticed until they were confirmed by Madsen (1939), but since that time many workers have become interested in the phenomenon and it has been variously termed “pseudo-rumination,” “refection,” “coprophagy,” and “reingestion.” The latter term is perhaps most appropriate (Watson, 1954) and is used throughout the present paper.