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Shark Coprolite?


whowat13

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Figured I would post this here, acquired it at a sale today...

 

Was found in Collier County, FL.

 

I think it is a shark coprolite, but would like to get more opinions/verification on the ID.

 

Measures 6 inches long.

GEDC0001.JPG

GEDC0002.JPG

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Sounds like a job for @GeschWhat or @Carl. To my eye, it looks strange for any Florida coprolites I've seen.

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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I am not sure what this is but I do not believe this is a shark coprolite. 

Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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Are you sure it was found in Collier county? My first guess (though I neglected to say it) was a weirdly big and strange Gastropod internal mold, shows similar preservation to the Eocene Ocala limestone of northern Florida which is chock full of Gastropods and their stienkerns.

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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19 hours ago, WhodamanHD said:

Are you sure it was found in Collier county? My first guess (though I neglected to say it) was a weirdly big and strange Gastropod internal mold, shows similar preservation to the Eocene Ocala limestone of northern Florida which is chock full of Gastropods and their stienkerns.

 

That's what he said, but he could have been mistaken...

 

Would you mind posting a picture of one of those molds here for comparison?

 

Thank you all...  Not what I was hoping, but still cool!

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2 hours ago, whowat13 said:

 

That's what he said, but he could have been mistaken...

 

Would you mind posting a picture of one of those molds here for comparison?

 

Thank you all...  Not what I was hoping, but still cool!

I am currently away from home, but I’ll take a picture of one when I get back. The size and the middle section is really throughing me off. Perhaps it’s just strangely worn limestone? Hard to tell for me.

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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I was looking on our favorite auction site and saw an object just like yours except it was brown in color an it was listed as a shark coprolite. It had an almost identical shape to your specimen but again, I don't believe that is what it is. I have found a couple shark coprolites from big brook N.J. and they looked nothing like what you have. 

Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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The only place I have seen a shark/fish coprolite with a spiral structure somewhat similar to what you have there was from the Eagle Ford Formation in Texas. This one had fish bone inclusions and was found with a hundred or so other coprolites of various shapes. If you touch yours to the tip of your tongue, does it stick? While it's not a definitive test, most porous looking coprolites (and some others) will stick. You can also wet your fingers and see if it feels stick, but that's not nearly as much fun! 

IMG_0186 (2).JPG

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second pic far left has a cavity filled with either oolites or crab feces? If the latter this could be a decapod burrow. Good close up of the area would help Carl ID it.

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I will post a closeup of the area in a couple of minutes...

 

It looks like broken shell pieces...

 

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My apologies, I had a sudden call followed by an unexpected road trip to Indiana...  I will follow up with you when I get back home...

 

Thanks again for all your help.

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I'm back home, and touched my tongue to it...

 

It does have some "stickiness" to the tongue.

 

I will post end-view pictures shortly.

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Here's a photo of each end for review...

 

The second one shows the pocket with the shell pieces in it.

 

...hope these help...

GEDC0001.JPG

GEDC0002.JPG

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This is a tough one! If it was really sticky, I'd be more confident calling it coprolite. It is possible that the coil loosened up when it was sitting in the water. I know lung fish poo does that. But it just seems more like a burrow. I don't know. I could go either way.

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Sorry I haven’t posted the Gastropod steinkern, but I keep getting the error message (and it’s I want to upload a quality-ish picture). Anyway, that was a shaky ID to begin with, and is even less likely with the inclusions. Burrow is most probable. But I do like throwing out alternatives, I suggest now that perhaps it is just a limestone concretion around a nucleus of shell bits that has happened to wear into the spiral shape.

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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