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The definitive field guide for animal flatulence is finally here.

“Does it Fart?” (Hachette) is an illustrated book about the fart capabilities of the animal kingdom. In the tome, authors Dani Rabaiotti, a London-based zoologist, and Nick Caruso, a Virginia postdoctoral associate in ecology and conservation, discuss whether 80 different animals fart, and if they do, what surprising purposes the gas might serve.

Take herrings: the fish native to the Atlantic and Pacific gulp in air from the surface of the water and store it until it’s time to let it rip. Often, scientists think, they’ll cut the cheese in order to communicate with their fellow fish, especially when it’s dark in the water and they need to stay away from predators.

The more you know!

Here’s a selection of the most interesting fart facts from Rabaiotti and Caruso’s very necessary book.

Termites
“Termites fart a lot,” Rabaiotti and Caruso write. Not only do these little stinkers destroy our wooden structures, but they’re also doing some damage to our environment. Termites are thought to contribute around 5 to 19 percent of global methane emissions, according to the book. Cows, however, take the cake when it comes to that kind of destruction. Cattle expel roughly 220-440 pounds of methane per cow per year, mostly through their flatulence.

Honey badgers
They really don’t give a darn. Honey badgers use their “anal scent glands” to immobilize bees so they can get straight to that honey without interference, Rabaiotti and Caruso write. After a honey badger’s toots, bees have been found “huddled in a corner of their nest, far away from the pungent smell.”

Birds
They actually don’t fart. “Birds don’t have the same gas-producing bacteria in their gut that are found in mammals and other farting animals,” the authors write. Plus, they digest their meals pretty quickly, leaving the food no time to stink up inside them.

Chimpanzees
Just like their human ancestors, chimps fart “loudly and often without shame,” they write. It’s actually the way scientists have located chimps to study in the wild. So, thanks for that, chimps.

Cockroaches
They fart. Great.

Dogs
This should come as no surprise to anyone who has spent any amount of time with the so-called “man’s best friend.” And, unfortunately, they often serve as a scapegoat for anyone who’s ever “flamed it and blamed them,” since the finger-pointing usually lands on the dog, Rabaiotti and Caruso write.

Cats
They’re no angels either. A byproduct of their mostly-carnivorous diet is especially sulfuric farts. But, Rabaiotti and Caruso write, “your cat probably doesn’t care how bad you think its farts smell, and as a result, won’t make any effort to save you from their pungent aroma.”

Manatees
Sea cows use their toots to help them stay buoyant, storing gas within certain parts of their intestines to help them float toward the surface, and passing it to sink.

Octopi
One might surmise that the force of nature propelling octopi in the water are merely a series of forceful farts, but actually, octopi don’t fart “to the best of our knowledge,” the authors write. Octopi expel water quickly through their siphons to escape from predators, sometimes releasing ink that can be filled with mucus — not stinky air. But it’s unclear which is worse.

Lemurs
Farts are just one of the odorous smells lemurs emit throughout their busy days, especially during “stink fights,” wherein, they rub the smells that come out of various glands onto their tails and then wave their tails above their heads at their rivals, “showing off their superior odor,” Rabaiotti and Caruso write. Hippos, similarly, will mark their territory by defecating and farting “while rapidly flailing [their tails] back and forth,” spreading their scent and sending a very strong message to anyone who tries to cross them.

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