Rodents and lagomorphs share many similarities and may look alike, but they are two distinct, closely related orders of mammals. One important difference lies in their teeth. While rodents possess only a single pair of continuously growing incisors in the upper jaw, lagomorphs feature an additional pair of small peg teeth directly behind them. The two groups diverged from a common ancestor millions of years ago and have since evolved independently. Today, they are among the most successful and widespread herbivorous mammals on Earth.
…that lagomorphs and some rodents eat special nutrient-rich droppings called caecotrophs? Although this may sound unusual, it is a highly efficient digestive strategy. Caecotrophs produced in the caecum are eaten directly and digested a second time, allowing the animals to absorb valuable nutrients and vitamins that would otherwise be lost and to make better use of difficult-to-digest plant material. This behaviour is known as caecotrophy.
