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Oldest Coprolites In The Fossil Record

Heteromorph

By Heteromorph
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Heteromorph Regular Member

Heteromorph

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This question just crossed my mind today, seemingly without provocation: What are the oldest known coprolites in the fossil record, whether from vertebrates or invertebrates? I know of Paleozoic coprolites, but is there any evidence of coprolites before that, perhaps from the Ediacaran? And if there are no pre-Cambrian coprolites recorded, what are the oldest known from the Paleozoic? 

 

I have a feeling that @GeschWhat might know a thing or two about this subject since, after all, she is the official Queen of Poopiness on TFF. :P

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caldigger Regular Member

caldigger

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54 minutes ago, Heteromorph said:

 

I have a feeling that @GeschWhat might know a thing or two about this subject since, after all, she is the official Queen of Poopiness on TFF. :P

Her actual title is "Princess Poop-Poop-E-Do.

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GeschWhat Regular Member

GeschWhat

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11 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Interesting.

I read this a few days ago, while pootling about on the web, these are pretty old. 

I have not heard of Ediacaran coprolites, but I may just have missed it. 

https://news.ku.edu/2018/04/02/ancient-sea-worm-eats-poops-and-leaves-behind-evidence-cambrian-biodiversity

I hadn't seen this one! Of course after reading it I had to watch a few videos about bobbit worms. My favorite HERE. I'm not familiar with older coprolites. I live near Ordovician deposits, but haven't been able to find anything that looks coprolitic around here. I have one specimen from that period that came from England, but I'm not sure if it is indeed a coprolite. I'm planning on getting together with @Bev this year (IF it ever stops snowing). Perhaps she lives in a better neighborhood. ;)

 

I'm definitely not a "queen," unless of course you are referring to my pantyhose. :D

 

 

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Lori

www.areallycrappystory.com/fossils

www.facebook.com/fossilpoo

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GeschWhat Regular Member

GeschWhat

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22 hours ago, Heteromorph said:

Thanks everyone for the replies! 

 

I just found these two articles about Cambrian coprolites. I still have yet to find anything about confirmed Ediacaran coprolites.

 

The World’s Oldest Poo

 

CAMBRIAN COPROLITES: A RECORD OF NON-ANOMALOCARIDID GNATHOBASIC PREDATION

Interesting! Am I missing something or does the second article kind of contradict the first? The first suggests an Anomalocaris did the dining based on poo size. However, second article (presentation) suggests these critters had soft mouth parts and appendages so could not crush its prey. I don't know enough about Cambrian critters or their sizes to make a judgement one way or the other. I will have to try to hunt down photos of the coprolite in the second paper. 

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Lori

www.areallycrappystory.com/fossils

www.facebook.com/fossilpoo

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Heteromorph Regular Member

Heteromorph

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3 hours ago, GeschWhat said:

Interesting! Am I missing something or does the second article kind of contradict the first? The first suggests an Anomalocaris did the dining based on poo size. However, second article (presentation) suggests these critters had soft mouth parts and appendages so could not crush its prey. I don't know enough about Cambrian critters or their sizes to make a judgement one way or the other. I will have to try to hunt down photos of the coprolite in the second paper. 

You are quite right! I didn't read the articles close enough to notice the plain contradiction. To me the second article makes a better case for the coprolites not being anomalocaridid in origin than the first article does for it being of such origin, but like you I don't know enough to say for sure one way or the other. Interesting non-the-less. And thank you for hunting for the photos from the second article. Hopfully they can be found. 

 

I have been doing more research and have come across a presentation indicating that coprolites have possibly been found of Micrometazoan origin in the Vendian (Ediacaran) Johnnie Formation in Death Valley. The Johnnie Formation is post-glacial (after the last Snowball Earth) in age but is also before the widespread diversification of Ediacaran biota, making these "coprolites" very early. The problem is that, at the time of this presentation (2001), the fossils were not entirely confirmed as being coprolites, but since then new information might have shed more light on this matter. Another thing is that the article doesn't show any pictures of the specimens. Hopfully more information can be found concerning this as well. 

 

Here is the article: POSSIBLE MICROMETAZOAN COPROLITES FROM THE JOHNNIE FORMATION (LATE NEOPROTEROZOIC) OF THE MOJAVE DESERT, CALIFORNIA

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