Monkeys sometimes eat poop mainly to squeeze a bit more nutrition or helpful bacteria out of their food, a behavior called coprophagia.

Quick Scoop: The short answer

  • Poop can still contain undigested nutrients, especially if the animal’s diet is tough, fibrous plants.
  • It can also contain useful gut bacteria that help digestion, a bit like a natural probiotic.
  • Many animals do this; it’s not all monkeys, and it’s usually normal behavior in the wild, not a “gross habit” in their world.

What is coprophagia?

In biology, eating feces is called coprophagia , and it’s seen in many species, including rabbits, rodents, some primates, and even young elephants and hippos.

For many of these animals, feces are:

  • A second chance at nutrients that weren’t fully absorbed the first time.
  • A source of water, vitamins, and minerals, especially in tough environments.
  • A way to “seed” the gut with the right microbes for digestion.

Why monkeys specifically might do it

Not all monkeys routinely eat their poop, but when they do, the main reasons are similar to other animals.

1. Extra nutrients from tough food

Many monkeys eat a lot of leaves, seeds, bark, and fibrous plant material that is hard to break down.

  • Some nutrients pass through the first digestion without being fully absorbed.
  • Eating the feces lets them “run it through” their system again and get a little more energy and vitamins.

This is especially helpful when food is scarce or low quality.

2. Gut bacteria boost

Feces are packed with microbes that help digest food.

  • Young or stressed animals may eat feces to pick up a healthy gut community.
  • This is similar to how baby elephants, hippos, and other animals eat adult dung during the transition from milk to solid food.

In a way, it’s like taking a “live culture” digestive supplement—just a very un-human one.

Do baby monkeys do this more?

In many species, babies or juveniles are more likely to eat adult feces as they switch from milk to solid foods.

  • They get bacteria that help them digest their new diet.
  • They may also pick up immune and digestive benefits from adult gut flora.

Similar patterns are documented in other mammals, even if the specific detailed studies are often on rabbits, koalas, and other herbivores.

Is it unhealthy for them?

For species that naturally practice coprophagia, it’s usually not harmful as long as the poop doesn’t carry serious pathogens.

  • Their immune systems and guts are adapted to handle their own and their group’s feces in small amounts.
  • Problems occur mainly when feces contain parasites, toxins, or disease-causing microbes.

To us it looks disgusting; for them, in the right context, it’s just another survival tool.

What about in zoos or captivity?

Keepers and researchers often see more obvious poop-eating behaviors in captive primates.

Possible reasons include:

  • Boredom or lack of stimulation.
  • Different diets that may change digestion and nutrient availability.
  • Learned or opportunistic behavior when food is limited or irregular.

While some forum threads joke about it as “ordinary” behavior in monkeys, many facilities still try to reduce it with better enrichment and diet management.

How this fits into the bigger animal world

Monkeys are far from alone:

  • Rabbits must eat special soft droppings (cecotropes) or they become malnourished.
  • Baby koalas eat a special “pap” from their mothers to get microbes for digesting eucalyptus leaves.
  • Vultures, hares, and many other wild animals eat their own or others’ droppings for protein, minerals, and energy.

So “why do monkeys eat their poop?” is really part of a bigger story: animals trying to get every last bit of value from their food.

Mini FAQ

Do all monkeys eat poop?
No. Some species or individuals are rarely seen doing it, and when it happens, it’s usually occasional, not constant.

Is it just because they’re “dirty”?
No. From an evolutionary perspective, it’s about nutrition, microbes, and sometimes environment—not about cleanliness.

Should humans ever do this?
No. Humans are not adapted for this, and feces can contain dangerous pathogens for us. Modern medicine uses purified, strictly controlled microbiota transfers instead of anything like that.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.