What Are Coprolites?Ĭoprolites are the fossilised faeces of animals that lived millions of years ago. In some instances, chemical analysis is required to definitively identify the mineral composition. If the calcium phosphate takes a harder, more dense form, the “wet finger test” won’t work. If you wet your finger and touch the stone to the tip of your wet finger and it sticks, chances are, it is high in calcium phosphate and could possibly be a coprolite. If the potential coprolite appears soft and porous, there is a quick test that is often used in the field.
It can be hard and dense or soft and porous. The reason for this is that their poop is usually high in calcium phosphate, the same mineral found in bone. So most fossil poo that is found is from carnivores. That is why understanding where your specimen was discovered and what kind of geology resides there is so important! Compositionīecause herbivore feces tends to break a part and decompose rapidly, it rarely survives the fossilization process.
For example, marine creatures that eat sediment from the bottom of the ocean floor would have food particles in their droppings and appear granular even if they were actually coprolites. There are exceptions to this rule though. If your specimen appears to be granular, unfortunately, it is probably not a coprolite. The way an object looks under a microscope can tell you whether or not it’s a coprolite. If present, they generally have a smooth surface. These are known as gastroliths which can also be found in coprolites. Just like modern day animals, some prehistoric animals ingested stones for ballast or digestive purposes. Some coprolites have some crazy stuff found inside of them such as fish scales, plant material, bones and teeth! It’s neat that we can see these things inside an animal’s poop that lived millions of years ago. Rarely, if ever, will coprolite be found completely on its own. Have other fossils like bones, teeth or even animal tracks been found in the same area? Coprolite is almost always accompanied by other fossilized evidence of prehistoric animal activity. This may seem obvious, but the next thing to consider in deciding whether or not you have actual coprolite is where it was found. The overall shape is going to be the first clue on whether or not you have coprolite.
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In this guide on how to identify coprolites, you’ll learn about all the different types of samples and what kinds of things to look for when looking for your own coprolite specimen. Since then many other types of fossils have been found inside coprolites including plants, pollen grains, insect remains and even microscopic animal burrows! How To Identify Coprolites And he agreed, that in fact these were dinosaur poop fossils. Then later in 1829, William Buckland observed that the fossils she had been finding contained things such as fish scales, bones and other inclusions. The first coprolites were discovered by Mary A nning in the early 1800’s who theorized that the strange “poop shaped” fossils she found were actually the fossilized poop of dinosaurs…the ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurus. Coprolites are the fossilized feces of prehistoric animals (enter poop joke here!) They can be found in sedimentary deposits throughout the world, including locations all over the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe.
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