Animals Recycling

We all know of the constant loop of nutrient recycling that happens in the massive ecosystem that is our Earth. But did you know? Numerous animal species have adapted their survival skills in order to recycle waste we leave behind. Check out these recycle-maniacs!

Elephants 

The photo to the left is of Thabo-Umasai, an elephant calf at Germany's Dresden Zoo munching on a used Christmas tree. Camels, deer, and sheep also participate in this recycling of Christmas trees. "Elephants around the country will enjoy a delicious lunch consisting of about five Christmas trees each," said Ragnar Kuehne of the Berlin Zoo. Kuehne also noted that the pine trees' unique oils actually help some animals' digestion.  

Sponges

Sponges such as the Halisarca caerulea grow in deep cavities underneath coral reefs. Scientists at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (RNISR) discovered that every day, these sponges consume half of their own weight in dissolved organic carbon. Where is all of that food energy going? As it turns out, the sponges shed cells produced from processing the carbon, which other residents of the reef then consume. "Halisarca caerulea is the great recycler of energy for the reef by turning over energy that nobody else can use into energy that everyone can use,' explained Jasper De Goeij, who worked on the RNISR study.

Orb-Weaving Spiders (We spared you the photo on this one.)

Some orb-weaving spiders decorate their webs with bits of leaves, twigs and other plant matter. Sometimes these creepy crawlers add ribbons, fluff and silk tufts in order to make their webs as enticing as possible for prey. Not only are they reusing materials left behind by humans, but many orb-weaving spiders rebuild their nests every day, so they are always busy recycling. This helps keep both their webs and their surrounding environment clean!

Hermit Crabs

Hermit crabs don't grow their own shells, so to protect themselves they have to salvage shells abandoned by other sea life, or in this case abandoned by us humans. But really they'll use whatever they can find, which often includes glass bottles, cans or shotgun shells. If you have a pet hermit crab you can provide it a recycled shell! Just remember that as a crab grows, it will seek out new shells in order to find the best fit.

Birds

Similarly to the orb-weaving spiders, many birds will incorporate everything from lint and string to human hair in their nests. Seriously, leave your hair clippings outside for the birds to use; they'll even accept your pets' hair! Bowerbirds from New Guinea and Australia collect colorful trash (mostly bottle caps and plastics) and re-purpose it for nest decoration. Some species of city-dwelling birds line their nests with discarded cigarette butts, which have been known to deter parasites from entering the nest. 

Corals
Though very sensitive to variations in their environment, these corals can adapt shipwrecks, undersea pipelines, and oil rigs into surfaces to develop reefs on. By re-purposing this human wreckage, they also provide habitats for twenty-five percent of marine life, and 4000 fish species alone.

Octupi 

Several species, such as the veined octopus (as seen on right), have been observed building shelters out of discarded debris. Some of these debris include cracked coconut shells, abandoned sea shells, glass jars and other waste whose fate is the bottom of the ocean. 

Dung Beetles
Dung beetles move, eat, lay eggs, and even LIVE in poop. Hey, somebody's got to do it! Every resource needs to be put to good use, even poop! Commonly referred to as "rollers," their waste-collection strategy is to roll feces into balls so that it can be easily wheeled away. It's estimated that dung beetles save the United States' cattle industry $380 million annually by livestock feces recycling alone. Their recycling abilities  have even been proposed as a way to help curb global warming. 

Decorator Crabs

Decorator crabs are covered with hooked hairs, nobs and spines to which they attach bits of sponge, seaweed, and even anemones. They do this to create an ideal camouflage appearance; their goal is to blend in with the coral reef. The Marine Education Society of Australasia says they’re only noticed when they move. Some crabs will even wear anemone hats with stinging tentacles to deter predators.

Burrowing Owl

Did you know burrowing owls nest underground? They also hang out during the day. Let's just say they're oddballs for an owl species. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, they are capable of digging out their own burrows, but they’ll also use homes left over by prairie dogs or ground rodents. They also recycle animal dung, making a kind of 'Welcome' mat out of it. 

Have you seen any animals recycling on U of M's campus? Perhaps you've observed one of our notorious Diag squirrels recycling a plastic water bottle, or a bird at the Arb using bits of plastic to create a nest? If you have any photos, please send them to recycle@umich.edu. Lastly, we hope you're inspired by these recycling champions. Get out there make a house from dung! Don't forget your stinging tentacle hat!

Works Cited
Chamberlain, Ted. "Photo in the News: Baby Elephant Eats Christmas Trees."National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 26 June 2014.
Viegas, Jennifer. "Top 5 Animals That Recycle : DNews." DNews. DNews, 22 Apr. 2010. Web. 26 June 2014.
Nelson, Bryan. "6 Animals That Recycle in Their Everyday Lives: Corals." MNN. Mother Nature Network, n.d. Web. 26 June 2014.
Langley, Liz. "St. Patrick's Day: "Green" Animals That Recycle." National Geographic. National Geographic, 14 Mar. 2014. Web. 26 June 2014.