CrowdScience Why do animals swallow rocks?
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Apr 11, 2025 Courtney Shewitt, from the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, shares her insights on sea lions' puzzling habit of swallowing rocks, known as gastroliths. Oliver Wings, director of the Natural History Museum in Bamberg, showcases fascinating discoveries from his vast collection, including surprising finds like gemstones. They discuss the various purposes of gastroliths, such as aiding digestion and buoyancy control. The conversation also touches on other rock-swallowing species, like ostriches and penguins, highlighting the complexity of animal behaviors in this quirky phenomenon.
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A Sea Lion's Rock Collection
- Robyn, a museum volunteer in Adelaide, found 20-30 rocks inside a sea lion's stomach during dissection.
- Her son, Sebastian, surprisingly recognized the rocks as stomach stones.
Rock Swallowing in Animals
- Many animals, including seals, sea lions, crocodiles, birds, and turtles, swallow rocks.
- The reason behind this behavior remains a mystery.
Gastrolith Theories
- Dr. Courtney Shewitt investigated gastroliths (stomach rocks) in Stellar Sea Lions.
- Several theories exist: aiding digestion, hunger, parasite control, and buoyancy reduction.