Two Medicine Formation Coprolite - SOLD 1.47"
Two Medicine Formation Coprolite - SOLD 1.47"
Fossils come in many forms: impressions of a tree's branching limbs, a preservation of a sea creature's skeletal system, and sometimes even an animal's poop. Funny as it may seem, these coprolite fossils are tremendously helpful to paleontologists, allowing them to reconstruct an animal's diet and thus their entire ecosystem.
This specimen is a large fragment of coprolite from the Two Medicine Formation in Montana. The specimen measures 1.47" in diameter. This specimen ships in a sturdy box and includes an individual certificate of authenticity. We promise it doesn't smell!
📸 A coprolite in hand
Everyone poops
Scientifically known as "coprolites," but commonly referred to as Dinosaur Dung, this is a fossilized dropping from a dinosaur of Montana's Two Medicine Formation. In this once lush landscape along the Western Interior Seaway, herbivorous dinosaurs in particular thrived, leaving behind an abundant fossil record after every meal.
Each coprolite specimen has been measured and listed individually by size and weight. All come secure cartons along with a small information card, that serves as certificate of authenticity.
Want more poop? Check out our dinosaur dung collection below. Trust us, there is nothing like telling someone what this lovely material is after they've picked it up!
ESTIMATED AGE: 83-70 Million years old
MORE ABOUT DINOSAUR DUNG
📸 Coprolite close-up
DINO DUNG
Scientifically speaking, coprolites are fossilized poop. Over millions of years, minerals, such as chalcedony and quartz, replaced the original organic material. This process creates a rich, colorful matrix that allows us to study the diet and lifestyle of long-extinct creatures.
Coprolites can come from reptiles, dinosaurs, and even ancient mammals. Depending on their origin, coprolites may contain a variety of minerals such as phosphorus and calcium. Scientists use these trace fossils to help identify the species responsible for the droppings and to learn more about their diet.
Our specimens come from the Two Medicine Formation of northern Montana and southern Alberta. This 600-meter-thick deposit was once a river system bordering the Western Interior Seaway and dates to the latter half of the Cretaceous Period. This formation is well known for its herbivorous dinosaur coprolites as this locale was once a lush landscape where plant-eaters thrived.
📸 From Chin, Fledman, Tashman (2017)
WHAT'S INSIDE A COPROLITE?
This image provides incredible detail of several curious samples: (a) conifer wood fragments (b) decayed wood fragment. (c) irregular, knobby cuticle (d-f) cylindrical appendage embedded in coprolitic groundmass (e) thin section of appendage shown in fig d. (f) higher magnification photomicrograph of appendage cuticle in fig d. (g-h) small cuticle fragment (h)
Scanning electron micrograph of specimen in (g) revealing perpendicular diagenetic growth of crystals (i-j) Thin section showing a >6 mm long cuticle fragment embedded in fecal groundmass. Yellow rectangle indicates area shown in (i) and blue rectangle shows area of microprobe maps. (j) Close-up image of cuticle in (i).
Exocuticle is at right of photo and probable pores are evident. (k-m) distributions of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus of cuticle in (i). Brighter colours indicate higher element concentrations. Note that distributions of magnesium and phosphorus follow the laminar structure of the cuticle.
Further Reading
Chin, Karen, Rodney M. Feldmann, and Jessica N. Tashman. "Consumption of crustaceans by megaherbivorous dinosaurs: dietary flexibility and dinosaur life history strategies." Scientific reports 7.1 (2017): 11163.
CHIN, KAREN, JOSEPH H HARTMAN, and BARRY ROTH. “Opportunistic Exploitation of Dinosaur Dung: Fossil Snails in Coprolites from the Upper Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation of Montana.” Lethaia 42.2 (2009): 185–198. Web.
Grove, Richard. The Cambridgeshire coprolite mining rush. Vol. 1. Oleander Press, 1976.
Reinhard, Karl J., and Vaughn M. Bryant Jr. "Coprolite analysis: A biological perspective on archaeology." Papers in Natural Resources. (1992).
Wilkinson, David M., Euan G. Nisbet, and Graeme D. Ruxton. "Could methane produced by sauropod dinosaurs have helped drive Mesozoic climate warmth?." Current Biology 22.9 (2012): R292-R293.