Editing Uric acid (section)

=== Birds, reptiles and desert-dwelling mammals ===
In [[bird]]s and [[reptile]]s, and in some desert-dwelling mammals (such as the [[kangaroo rat]]), uric acid also is the end product of purine metabolism, but it is excreted in [[feces]] as a dry mass. This involves a complex [[metabolic pathway]] that is energetically costly in comparison to processing of other nitrogenous wastes such as [[urea]] (from the [[urea cycle]]) or [[ammonia]], but has the advantages of reducing water loss and preventing dehydration.<ref name="Hazard">{{cite book | last = Hazard | first = L. C. | title = Sodium and Potassium Secretion by Iguana Salt Glands | series = Iguanas: Biology and Conservation | publisher = University of California Press | pages = 84–85 | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-520-23854-1 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Dyb8bNBh5nwC }}</ref>