Coprolites

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PinkDiamond
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Coprolites

Post by PinkDiamond »

I remember when someone told me what coprolite was, and after laughing my butt off I wondered why anyone would be interested in them. That was many years ago, but there's still a lot I didn't know about coprolites and other related fossils that I learned about in this extensive article on them, and how to recognize them as well as distinguish them from other fossils that may be mistaken for them. Who'da thunk fossilized poop could be so interesting? :lol:

Coprolites

Get the scoop on fossilized feces.
By Admin - May 20, 2018
Story by Lori Carter


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Controversial siderite specimens from Salmon Creek in Washington contain no phosphate and no organic traces, and have no associated fossils, but they exhibit superb shape. (Lori Carter photo)

"OK, coprolites are funny. How could rock-hard dino doo, fossilized feces, silicified scat, petrified poo, not be funny? They are the quintessential bottom line of rockhound potty humor jokes. But coprolites are more than just the butt of jokes. They are invaluable windows into the lives of long-gone creatures.

Mary Anning was a pioneering paleontologist who lived in Lyme Regis, along the “Jurassic Coast” of southern England in the early 1800s. While excavating the fossilized remains of ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, she observed distinctive conical objects in the vicinity of the animals’ abdominal regions. These objects were commonly known as “bezoar stones”, stony, indigestible gastrointestinal masses that can’t be expelled. People assumed the Lyme Regis objects were modern-day bezoars. Upon further examination, Anning noted that the peculiar stones contained fossilized fish bones and scales, as well as the fossilized bones of other animals. Based on these observations, she theorized that they were not bezoar stones, but the fossilized excrement of the ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs.

Around 1824, Anning discussed her theory with William Buckland, an eminent geologist of that time. After further study of his own, Buckland concurred that the stones were indeed fossilized feces. He named them coprolites, from the Greek kopros (dung) and lithos (stone), and in 1829, he presented his findings to the Geological Society of London.

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Mary Anning was a pioneering paleontologist who lived in Lyme Regis, along the “Jurassic Coast” of southern England in the early 1800s

Many coprolites have decidedly poopy shapes. One of the easiest ways to identify coprolites is to compare their shapes to modern analogues. The spiral pattern observed on modern shark excrement is similar to certain marine coprolites. Crocodilian coprolites look almost “fresh”. Caterpillar frass coprolites in amber/copal are often identical to their modern analogues, leaving little doubt as to their nature. Modern ghost shrimp pellets are strikingly similar to coprolites found around decapod fossils. So, in some cases, we can use shape as a factor for identification with some certainty.

Shape would seem to be the most obvious way to identify a coprolite, but paleontologists have learned that morphology is not always conclusive. There are at least three other factors to consider: composition (physical and chemical), geology/stratigraphy, and associated fossils.

Buckland studied fossils found in Kirkdale Cave, located in Kirkdale, North Yorkshire. The cave contained hyena fossils and the fossilized remains of various mammals with marks consistent with gnawing. There were also some white rocks that looked like dried dog doo. Buckland postulated that hyenas ... "

https://www.rockngem.com/coprolites/?ut ... tter080119
PinkDiamond
ISG Registered Gemologist


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