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Coprolite ID


bdean

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Hello from Southern California

 

I was going through my garage and found, what I was told is Coprolite, that I bought at a little rock shop in Zion Utah. I bought this about 16 years ago, and it was a "display" used for displaying other coprolites.

 

Can anyone confirm this? 

Screen Shot 2017-05-18 at 7.50.24 PM.png

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Without visible inclusions or knowing where it was found, it is almost impossible to determine whether or not it is a coprolite. Most of the siliceous rocks identified in rock shops (especially those identified as coprolites from the Morrison Formation in Utah) are questionable. With coprolites, you want to consider the following:

  • Shape - Is there evidence of sphincter (pinch) marks, intestinal folds, etc?
  • Proximity - Was it found near body fossils, footprints, or a nesting area?
  • Are there visible inclusions (bone, scales, etc.)
  • Is it phosphatic? Carnivore coprolites primarily consist of calcium phosphate - the same mineral prevalent in bone. 
  • Does it contain backfilled burrows? Dung beetles create backfilled burrows that are sometimes visible when herbivore coprolites are cut. 
  • Does it contain undigested plant material?

In my own collection, I usually classify specimens like yours as dubiocoprolites. I hope this helps.

 

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That's a big load of Do-Du-bious ................:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Tony
The Brooks Are Like A Box Of Chocolates,,,, You Never Know What You'll Find.

I Told You I Don't Have Alzheimer's.....I Have Sometimers. Some Times I Remember

And Some Times I Forget.... I Mostly Forget.




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15 hours ago, doushantuo said:

Dubiocoprolites,:P

I'll be moderated,no doubt:P

Gesch,how about palynology?

 

That was really interesting. I know the term coprolite is also used for paleofeces but I'm afraid I am a bit of a literalist. Since coprolite means dung stone, I figure, f it can be reconstituted, it is just really old dried poop. I could have sworn I had a recent article about a Cretaceous herbivore coprolite that was found by Karen Chin (if I remember correctly), but I couldn't find it. I know she found plant fibers, but I'm not sure about pollen. 

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23 minutes ago, doushantuo said:

found it,i think

tlo.2007.p07-044r.pdf

Thanks for this one, I was going to request it. However, this isn't the paper/article I was thinking of. All I remember is that there was an in situ photo and it looked like a freeform, half disintegrated pile of nothing. I don't think I would have recognized it as a coprolite. If I remember correctly, Karen, herself found it. I shot her an email and asked if she could resend it.

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Don't looks like coprolite, to me, either. Maybe something similar to mudstone or more recent, according to the propagation cracks.
Can we have a better resolution image of this area?

 

a.jpg.8f9122cfb819d18fb41814128f4fde6c.jpg

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Well, now my wife tells me we picked this up in Sedona AZ. area.

 

I'll post more photos and maybe a video. To me, not by any means a professional, looks like it was organic at one point. I know it's been ruled out as coprolite, but it kind of looks like a part or piece of dropping. Almost from something that was dehydrated. I know when i'm constipated, my waste can be in pebble form.

 

I'll post more information.

 

 

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LOL...hope you're not referring to photos of your personal pebbles. :P

 

It hasn't been 100% ruled out as a coprolite. I have coprolites that from a prehistoric flood plain that were coated with an iron rich mud during the fossilization process, resulting in a cracked ironstone (siderite) surface. I am 99% those are coprolites because I have many others from the same are that are cracked or chipped exposing the coprolite. Plus I know where they were found, and the type of fossils found in the direct vicinity. I also have specimens like the one attached that was reportedly found in an excavation where a horned gopher (Ceratogaulus) skeleton was also found. Although much smaller than yours, it also exhibits cracks. Is it a coprolite? Maybe. It doesn't contain inclusions and I didn't find it myself, so I don't have have enough information at this time to say for sure one way or another. So I labeled it as a dubiocoprolite.  Volcanic rocks can take an organic form and crack as they are cooling. There are also things like septarian nodules that can look very much what one would assume dried poo patties would look like. Since I have been on this forum, I have discovered that many fossil sponges look like coprolites. If you really want to know whether or not yours is a coprolite, you could have it cut so you can see what is inside. If it contains recognizable inclusions, you could then confirm its anal origin. If not, well...you still have a mighty find dubiocoprolite and great conversation piece.  Because of their origin, coprolites have been an underappreciated ichnofossil. Historically, many paleontologists just cast them off, preferring the sexier fossils like bones and teeth. It is only in modern times that fossil feces has gotten the respect and attention it deserves (IMHO). The more I learn about them, the more I realize just how little we know about these intriguing colonary confections. 

Horned Gopher 3.png

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