A person with long hair and a beard stands outdoors, wearing a light-colored shirt and a backpack. They appear thoughtful, perhaps contemplating secrets, as they look to the side with a slight smile. The background is blurred, suggesting a natural setting.
Close-up of animal scat on a grassy field, partially illuminated by sunlight. The grass is short and the scene whispers secrets in natural light.
A wombat stands on a grassy area near a body of water, facing slightly downward, as if pondering nature's secrets. The background shows a blurred, sunlit water surface with part of a rock or landmass visible on the right side.

Secrets in the Scat

Nature & Wildlife·1 x 50 min·Completed

Dive into the wild world of animal poo with Scat Man! Discover how feces unlock secrets of endangered species in this fun, fascinating science adventure!

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Genre
Nature & Wildlife
Science
Duration
1 × 50 min
Definition
4K
Audio
5.1
Status
Completed
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Synopsis

The Science of Animal Poo!
Follow wildlife biologist Scott Burnett, aka Scat Man, as he looks for the facts in the faeces of endangered species!
Scat is the word biologists use for animal poo. It’s pure gold for researchers. A window into ecology without having to harm an animal – or a scientist.

In ‘Secrets in the Scats’, Scat Man meets other scat scientists around the world, gets to investigate some amazing s–t, unravel its secrets, and meet the makers. A wombat that poos cubes; a giant bird with a plant nursery in its excrement; whales that evacuate iridescent mega scat, a swarm of krill that poo en masse and a rhinoceros with its own Facebook page made of dung.

The journey begins at the bottom of Australia. On a windswept island, Scat Man finds himself overwhelmed by massive piles of cubed poo; the unique scat of the bare-nosed wombat. He finds out how they make them, but why? With wombat expert Scott Carver, he searches for the answer. The truth begins to merge when they record a wombat in the act – a world first.

In Assam, India, Scat Man digs deep into a Facebook page for pachyderms. The one horned rhino’s pooing habits are very similar to the wombats’ but not as neat. But their large unruly poo piles are more than just a place to pick up gossip.

Off the coast of Sri Lanka Scat Man tracks pygmy blue whales with marine biologist Asha De Vos, also known as ‘The Poop Lady’. The whales are awe-inspiring. But it’s their massive bright orange scat they seek. From it they will unlock the secrets of whale behaviour and its role in keeping the ocean healthy.

Scat Man meets the animals that keep the whales alive, the krill, in the world’s only krill research lab. He joins chemical engineer Abbie Smith to conduct an experiment on a single strand of krill scat. Turns out krill may play an even greater role in the health of the oceans than the whale.

Finally, Scat Man enters the dense tropical forests of Queensland to track the southern cassowary, affectionately known as the dinosaur bird. Its scat is brimming with a nursery of seeds ready to sprout. Here, Scat Man joins colleague Andrew Dennis to find out if those seeds can help save the threatened tropical forests of Queensland. Scat Man does his own bit to keep the forests alive. It’s not what you think.

This is fun, engaging, serious science. With committed scientists, enigmatic animals and their breathtaking homes. A journey with Scat Man. He’ll take you where few people dare to tread.

Team

Written and directed by Ruth Berry
Executive producers Susanne Lummer, Sabine Holzer
Production companies A co-production of Terra Mater Studios and WGBH/NOVA in association with ARTE France

Awards & Recognitions

New York, USA New York Festivals TV & Film Awards Gold Award (Category: Documentary: Science & Technology) 2023
Adelaide, Australia SCINEMA International Science Film Festival Winner (Category: Best Film) 2022
Olomouc, Czech Republic AFO International Festival of Science Documentary Films Official Selection (Category: International Competition) 2023
Jackson Hole, USA Jackson Wild Media Awards Finalist (Category: Writing) 2022
Cannes, France Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards Finalist 2022
WCSFP - World Congress of Science & Factual Producers Buzzies Awards Official Selection (Category: Best Host/Presenter in a Science/History or Wildlife Program/Content) 2022
Lihula, Estonia MAFF - Matsalu Nature Film Festival Official Selection 2022
Paris, France Pariscience International Science Film Festival Official Selection (Category: Budding Jurors Selection) 2022
Rotterdam, Netherlands WFFR - Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam Official Selection 2022
Eckernförde, Germany Green Screen - Internationales Naturfilmfestival Eckernförde Nomination (Category: Best Science Film) 2022
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