Elasmosaur Coprolite?

[Fullux]

Howdy all,

 

I found this coprolite in the Coon Creek Formation in McNairy, Tennessee quite a long time ago and I'm curious as to what it may be from.

 

It contains mollusk shells, fish bones, and crab parts, all of which elasmosaurs are thought to have eaten.

 

Does anyone know what types of elasmosaurs frequented the Mississippi enbayment and if this is likely from an elasmosaur?

[DPS Ammonite]

Thanks for posting a likely coprolite that actually has pieces of meals like a coprolite should have.

 

Can’t give you an ID, but maybe someone at the Poozeum in Williams, Arizona can help.

 

 

https://poozeum.com

 

[Fullux]

15 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

Thanks for posting a likely coprolite that actually has pieces of meals like a coprolite should have.

 

Can’t give you an ID, but maybe someone at the Poozeum in Williams, Arizona can help.

 

 

https://poozeum.com

 

Is it uncommon to find intact meals inside of them?

[Yoda]

@GeschWhat may be able to provide further info 

[jpc]

could this be a concretion with a lobster in it?

[Fullux]

1 hour ago, jpc said:

could this be a concretion with a lobster in it?

The paleontologist who owned the land and hosted the expedition we were on had a little briefing where she in particular covered the coprolites in the area like this one. Also, I don't believe lobsters are known from those deposits.

[GeschWhat]

First let me say that it is almost impossible to link coprolites to their producers unless it is positioned in (a cololite) or coming out of an animal's gut.  Could you tell me the name of the paleontologist that briefed you? 

 

I think what you have there is most likely an infilled burrow (which would also be a super cool find). If you scrape the surface lightly does it feel granular or rough? Burrows tend to feel like fine sand paper. Carnivore coprolites generally have an almost waxy feel. If you examine it closely under a microscope you could find coprolites from invertebrates that fed on the scraps of the animal(s) that lived there or fed on the animal/waste itself. That said, could it be a coprolite? Possibly, but it would need to be examined more closely. I would place my bet on it being a burrow. Could you post a close up of the internal areas where it is broken?

 

I would recommend you have Karen Chin at the University of CO (Boulder) look at it. 

 

A side note: It looks like your specimen has been glued. If so, that is a big no no. Never put glue on fossilized poo.  

 

Here is an example of a burrow I purchased a while back. It was sold to me as a coprolite. Once I rinsed it, the surface was rough and I could see that it was rather granular under the microscope. It doesn't have the same morphology as yours, but it contains crustacean bits. 

 

@Carl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fullux]

55 minutes ago, GeschWhat said:

First let me say that it is almost impossible to link coprolites to their producers unless it is positioned in (a cololite) or coming out of an animal's gut.  Could you tell me the name of the paleontologist that briefed you? 

 

I think what you have there is most likely an infilled burrow (which would also be a super cool find). If you scrape the surface lightly does it feel granular or rough? Burrows tend to feel like fine sand paper. Carnivore coprolites generally have an almost waxy feel. If you examine it closely under a microscope you could find coprolites from invertebrates that fed on the scraps of the animal(s) that lived there or fed on the animal/waste itself. That said, could it be a coprolite? Possibly, but it would need to be examined more closely. I would place my bet on it being a burrow. Could you post a close up of the internal areas where it is broken?

 

I would recommend you have Karen Chin at the University of CO (Boulder) look at it. 

 

A side note: It looks like your specimen has been glued. If so, that is a big no no. Never put glue on fossilized poo.  

 

Here is an example of a burrow I purchased a while back. It was sold to me as a coprolite. Once I rinsed it, the surface was rough and I could see that it was rather granular under the microscope. It doesn't have the same morphology as yours, but it contains crustacean bits. 

 

@Carl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm afraid I don't remember the name of the paleontologist, as I was a lot younger when we went. I do remember that she is an older woman.

 

One of the main things she talked aboit was how they were thought to be crustacean burrows, but she saw a show on coprolites and then did a bunch of research and decided on them being coprolites.

 

The surface of this piece feels very similar to the substrate it was found in. Grainy and silty.

 

The inside is black and hard as a rock. Almost reminds me of hematite.

[Carl]

I agree with a burrow identification for this. I have seen many such burrows, often with crustacean bits within, and it lacks features to be expected for coprolites.