Dave Bevan / Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) perched on rock ledge below cliff nest, Wales, UK, May

Dave Bevan / Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) perched on rock ledge below cliff nest, Wales, UK, May

Jabruson / Male Forest Buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus) defecating into Bai water, Odzala National Park, North Western Republic of Congo, Africa

John Cancalosi / Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) perched on Cardon cactus (whitewashed due to vulture faeces) with wings open sunbathing, Sonora, Mexico

John Cancalosi / Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) perched on cardon cactus (whitewashed due to vulture faeces), one ndividual with wings open sunbathing, Sonora, Mexico

John Cancalosi / Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) perched on Cardon cactus (whitewashed due to vulture faeces) with wings open sunbathing, Sonora, Mexico

John Cancalosi / Black vultures (Coragyps atratus) perched on cardon cactus (whitewashed due to vulture faeces), Sonora, Mexico

Premaphotos / Common yellow dung flies (Scathophaga stercoraria) mating and laying eggs on a cow-pat, UK

Nick Upton / Fiat 500 car covered in droppings after parking beneath huge Common starling roost (Sturnus vulgaris) central Rome, Italy, 1997

Steven Kazlowski / Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) colony along the western Antarctic Peninsula, Southern Ocean

Steven Kazlowski / Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) colony along the western Antarctic Peninsula, Southern Ocean

Philippe Clement / Droppings of European hare (Lepus europaeus) on a leaf, Germany

George McCarthy / Dung mottle gill fungus {Panaeolus semiovatus} growing in dung, UK

Gavin Maxwell / Giant panda faeces {Ailuropoda melanoleuca} Foping reserve, Qinling mountains, China, October 06, 'Wild China' series

John Cancalosi / Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chrysoides) male flying from nest hole in Saguaro Cactus with fecal sac, Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA.

John Cancalosi / Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chrysoides) male flying from nest hole in Saguaro Cactus with fecal sac, Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA.

John Cancalosi / Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chrysoides) female flying from nest hole in Saguaro Cactus with fecal sac, Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA.

John Cancalosi / Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chrysoides) female flying from nest hole in Saguaro Cactus with fecal sac, Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA.

John Cancalosi / Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chrysoides) female flying from nest hole in Saguaro Cactus with fecal sac, Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA.

Chris Gomersall / Northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe), adult male in spring plumage on farm midden heap. Hertfordshire, England. April.

Chris Gomersall / Common starling (Sturnus vulgaris), male adult in spring plumage catching insects on farm midden heap. Hertfordshire, England. April.

Chris Gomersall / Common starling (Sturnus vulgaris), adult in spring plumage catching insects on farm midden heap. Hertfordshire, England. April.

Chris Gomersall / Corn bunting (Emberiza calandra / Milaria calandra) adult on farm midden heap. Hertfordshire, England. April.

Chris Gomersall / Northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe), adult male in spring plumage on farm midden heap. Hertfordshire, England. April.

Chris Gomersall / Northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe), adult male in spring plumage on farm midden heap. Hertfordshire, England. April.

Chris Gomersall / Yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava flavissima), male in spring plumage on farm midden heap. Hertfordshire, England. April.

Russell Cooper / Yellow dungflies {Scathophagia stercoraria} pair mating, UK

Anup Shah / Dung beetles {Scarabaeidae} rolling dung, Serengeti NP, Tanzania

Paul Hobson / Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) nesting colony on cliff, Dunbar Castle walls, Scotland, UK

Rolf Nussbaumer / Ladder-backed Woodpecker {Picoides scalaris} male flying from nest hole with faecal sac, Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA

Anup Shah / Dung beetle {Scarabaeidae} rolling ball of dung, East Africa. Slow shutter speed

Rolf Nussbaumer / Eastern Bluebird {Sialia sialis} female leaving nest hole with faecal sac, Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA

Pete Oxford / Woman collecting cow dung to be dried and used for cooking fuel, nr Jaiselmer, Rajasthan, India 2006

Pete Oxford / Woman collecting dung to be dried and used for cooking fires. Pushkar camel and livestock fair, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India, October 2006

Pete Oxford / Lion scent marking (Panthera leo). Mombo area, Chief's Island, Okavango Delta, Botswana Southern Africa

PREMAPHOTOS / Micro moth (Epiblema rosaecolana) camouflaged as a bird-dropping, UK

PREMAPHOTOS / Silver ground carpet moth (Xanthorhoe montanata) resembling a bird-dropping, UK

PREMAPHOTOS / Caterpillar larva of Moth (Eutelia sp) covered in a layer of its own droppings for defense, Kenya

PREMAPHOTOS / Noctuid moth caterpillar (Noctuidae) mimicing a bird-dropping in tropical dry forest, Costa Rica

PREMAPHOTOS / Broad-headed bug {Hyalymenus sp.} ant mimicing nymph feeds from bird dropping on leaf, note seeds in the bird dropping, Costa Rica

PREMAPHOTOS / Broad-headed bug {Hyalymenus sp.} ant mimicing nymph feeds from bird dropping on leaf, note seeds in the bird dropping, Costa Rica

PREMAPHOTOS / Black-bordered charaxes butterfly (Charaxes pollux) feeding from dung, in rainforest, Uganda

PREMAPHOTOS / Caterpillar larva of King swallowtail butterfly (Papilio sp) resembling a bird dropping, extruding its osmaterium which releases a foul smelling secretion, rainforest, Panama

PREMAPHOTOS / Blue transparent butterfly (right) (Ithomia pellucida) and Sweet oil butterfly (Mechanitis isthmia kayei) feeding from a bird-dropping in rainforest, Trinidad

PREMAPHOTOS / Caterpillar larva of King swallowtail butterfly (Papilio sp) resembling a bird dropping, extruding its osmaterium which releases a foul smelling secretion, rainforest, Venezuela

PREMAPHOTOS / Blue transparent butterfly (Ithomia pellucida) feeding from a small bird-dropping in rainforest, Trinidad

PREMAPHOTOS / Butterfly (Charaxes pleione), its undersides mimicking a dead leaf as it feeds on liquid from dung in rainforest, Kenya

Nature Production / Japanese Waxwing {Bombycilla japonica} excreting parasite's seeds, Japan

Nature Production / Goldfish {Carassius auratus} with thread of excrement, captive, Japan

Nature Production / Goldfish {Carassius auratus} with thread of excrement, captive, Japan

Nature Production / Dung-ball beetle larva (final stage) {Kheper playnotus} inside dung ball, Kenya

Nature Production / Pair of Dung beetles {Kheper playnotus} rolling a brooding dung ball, male pushing, female riding on top of the ball, Kenya

Anup Shah / Banded mongoose {Mungos mungo} group foraging in dung, Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda

Jurgen Freund / Komodo dragon faeces (Varanus komodoensis) Komodo Island, Indonesia

Jose B. Ruiz / Wild boar faeces (Sus scrofa) Alicante, Spain

Juergen Freund / Komodo dragon faeces being held in hand (Varanus komodoensis) Komodo Island, Indonesia

Richard Du Toit / Dung beetle rolling dung (Scarabaeidae) Chobe NP, Botswana

Paul Hobson / Twite (Carduelis flavirostris) on bracken, carrying faecal sac, Pennines, uk

Petra Wegner / Domestic dog, 7 week-old Pyrenean Shepherd / Berger des Pyrenees puppy defecating on grass

Petra Wegner / Domestic dog, 7 week-old Pyrenean Shepherd / Berger des Pyrenees puppy defecating on grass

Shattil & Rozinski / Barn swallow {Hirundo rustica} removing faecal sac from nest, USA

Simon Colmer / Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) droppings, New Forest, Hampshire, UK

Simon Colmer / European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) latrine positioned in a prominent place as a territorial marker. Sussex, UK

Simon Colmer / Badger {Meles meles} droppings showing beetle elytra (wing cases), New Forest, Hampshire, UK

Jose B. Ruiz / Fan-tailed warbler removes fecal pellet from nest {Cisticola juncidis} Spain

TJ Rich / Fossilized guano on volcanic rocks, Ascension Island

Jose B. Ruiz / Orphean warbler removed fecal pellet from chick {Sylvia hortensis} Alicante, Spain

Colin Seddon / European river otter holt {Lutra lutra} with scat remains, Shetland Islands, Scotland, UK

Peter Blackwell / Rosy breasted longclaw (Macronyx ameliae) perched in elephant dung, Masai Mara NP, Kenya

Vivek Menon / Cow dung patties used for fuel, New Delhi, India

Vivek Menon / Pile of cow dung patties used for fuel, New Delhi, India

Pete Oxford / Two striped forest pit viper (Bothriopis bilineatus) showing defecation, Ecuador, South America

Adrian Davies / Hedgehog faeces on grass {Erinaceus europaeus} Surrey, England, UK.

Bengt Lundberg / European bee eater {Merops apiaster} on sand bank, La Mancha, Spain

Doug Perrine / Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) defecating, fecal stream is colored red by krill that form the bulk of the blue whale's diet, California, USA

Nick Garbutt / Spider (species unknown) mimicking a bird dropping. Mt Kinabalu, Borneo.

Dave Watts / Droppings of Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) containing spines of Echidna, Tasmania, Australia

Doug Perrine / Fecal cloud left behind after Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) defecated at surface, coloured red by krill that form the bulk of the blue whale's diet, California, USA

Solvin Zankl / European river otter defecates on shoreline to mark territory, Shetland Islands, UK

Duncan Mcewan / Sessile oak tree {Quercus petraea} leaf with leaf mining insects, UK, June

Pete Oxford / Southern tamandua midden, corner of cave used for defecation, Cerrado, Brazil

Pete Oxford / Welcome swallow nest with chicks (Hirundo neoxena) note defaecation on outside, Tasmania

Pete Oxford / Dung beetle rolling dung ball {Scarabaeus sp} Okavango Delta, Botswana

SIMON KING / European river otter spraint (Lutra lutra)

Kevin J Keatley / Barn owl pellets in old nest site {Tyto alba} small rodent bones visible in pellets, UK

Hermann Brehm / Butterflies {Lepidoptera} on African elephant dung, Botswana, Southern Africa

Flip de Nooyer / Flies {Diptera sp} on cowpat, Netherlands

Jabruson / Von Der Deckens Hornbill {Tockus deckeni} with dung and mongooses on termite mound, Tsavo NP, Kenya.

Martin Gabriel / Fungi growing on African elephant dung {Loxodonta africana} Okavango delta, Botswana

Jabruson / Red-Billed Hornbill {Tockus erythrorhynchus} with elephant dung and mongooses on termite mound, Tsavo East NP, Kenya, East Africa

John Downer Productions / Nelson's column, Trafalgar Square, London, UK

Richard Du Toit / Butterflies on fresh dung, Chobe NP, Botswana

Philippe Clement / Moose (Alces alces) droppings on taiga forest floor, Denali NP, Alaska, USA.

Philippe Clement / Brown bear droppings {Ursus arctos} showing berries and fish bones, Kodiak Is, Alaska, USA.

Rolf Nussbaumer / White eyed vireo {Vireo griseus} removing fecal sac from nest with chicks in Huisache Tree, Welder Wildlife Refuge, Sinton, Texas, USA.

Igor Shpilenok / Kamchatka brown bear (Ursus arctos beringianus) dung, Kronotsky Zapovednik Reserve, Kamchatka, Russia. During autumn the bears on the tundra feast on berries, leaving behind tell-tale traces