Why do animals eat their placenta?

Although the placenta is revered in many cultures, there is scarce evidence that any customarily eat the placenta after the newborn's birth. ... Those who advocate placentophagy in humans believe that eating the placenta prevents postpartum depression and other pregnancy complications. read more

Placentophagy (from 'placenta' + Greek φαγειν, to eat; also referred to as placentophagia) is the act of mammals eating the placenta of their young after childbirth. [citation needed] The placenta contains small amounts of oxytocin which eases birth stress and causes the smooth muscles around the mammary cells to contract and eject milk. read more

While we still don’t know for sure, there are several different theories. One theory has is that, the placenta, containing high levels of prostglandins can stimulate the “clean out” process and help the uterus to return to a pre-gestation size. read more

Most mammals go out of their way to consume their placenta with great enthusiasm after the birth of their baby, frequently taking hours to do so. They sometimes even delay caring for the baby to satisfy this instinctual need. I’ve heard it argued that animals do this to clean their nest sites, in an effort to avoid predators, but this is not true. read more