Osteophagy
Encyclopedia
Osteophagy is the practice whereby herbivores consume bones. This practice usually occurs place in a nutrient-deficient environment. The animals consume the bones in order to obtain such necessary elements as phosphorus
and calcium
.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
and calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
.