Wildlife Health Talks

#6 Scott, his Wombot and the physics behind poo shapes

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March 11, 2023 11:00pm

26m

Podcast host Cat chats with Dr Scott Carver about the secret lives of wombats. His team built a robot, the Wombot, that allows to explore the burrows of the animals with the square-shaped poo. Scott is fascinated by the different shapes of poo in the animal kingdom and is particularly proud of his most recent paper, where he explores the physics behind the mystery. Scott also investigates sarcoptic mange that is currently giving wombats a hard time. 

Scott is an Associate Professor in wildlife disease ecology at the University of Tasmania in Hobart. 
https://www.utas.edu.au/profiles/staff/biological-sciences/scott-carver 

Check out the video of the Wombot exploring a wombat burrow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Ae8XhEMrxDo Check out Scott’s paper on the physics of poo shapes: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/sm/d2sm00359g/unauth

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