Latrines are accumulations of two to several hundred faeces resulting from the repeated use of the same defecation sites by the same or several individuals. Many carnivores deposit their faeces in such dedicated latrine sites, which are often shared by several animals either from the same social group or from neighbouring territories. Although latrines are assumed to play an important role in olfactory communication, detailed knowledge of specific information exchange is still lacking. Four different categories of data are important in trying to understand the function of latrines in animal societies: (i) spatial distribution patterns; (ii) temporal usage patterns; (iii) individual visit and contribution patterns; and (iv) information content of the signal. While the spatial distribution of latrines in relation to territory boundaries, landmarks and resources has been studied in a variety of species, only a few studies concentrated on temporal variation in latrine usage. Even fewer studies provide insights into inter-individual differences in visit and contribution patterns or the olfactory information content of latrines. In this review, we outline potential functional hypotheses for latrine use and develop a research framework for the study of latrine function. We then present three model species – European badger, Meles meles , meerkat, Suricata suricatta , and banded mongoose, Mungos mungo – for which we have detailed data for at least three of the four above-mentioned categories, which we will use to test these hypotheses. Throughout the chapter, we review the different techniques used to collect these data in different species, discuss the limitations of using spatial data alone to test functional hypotheses, and highlight the value of a combined approach.