Name/Title
CoproliteEntry/Object ID
2011.57.56Description
Description: Phylum: Chordata
Class:
Family:
Common Name: Coprolite (dinosaur dung)
Age: Jurassic
Location: San Rafael, Utah
Description: Rough, rounded back with polished face. Somewhat banded with outer band a translucent creamy tan to red and creamy white, while the inner area is dark creamy orange with some red and creamy white areas.
Physical Characteristics:
A coprolite is fossilized animal dung. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behaviour (in this case, diet) rather than morphology. The name is derived from the Greek words ??p??? / kopros meaning 'dung' and ????? / lithos meaning 'stone'. They were first described by William Buckland in 1829. Prior to this they were known as "fossil fir cones" and "bezoar stones." They serve a valuable purpose in paleontology because they provide direct evidence of the predation and diet of extinct organisms.[1] Coprolites may range in size from a few millimetres to over 60 centimetres.
Coprolites, distinct from paleofaeces, are fossilized animal dung. Like other fossils, coprolites have had much of their original composition replaced by mineral deposits such as silicates and calcium carbonates. Paleofaeces, on the other hand, retain much of their original organic composition and can be reconstituted to determine their original chemical properties.[2] In the same context, there are the urolites, erosions caused by evacuation of liquid wastes and nonliquid urinary secretions.
Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Class: Reptilia
Phylum: ChordataCollection
Museum Collection of FossilsAcquisition
Accession
2011.57Source or Donor
Museum Collection of FossilsAcquisition Method
Long-term LoanDimensions
Width
6 inDepth
1-3/4 inLength
8 inLocation
Location
Container
LeftDrawer
Back Row / BottomShelf
RightCabinet
Case # 50Wall
NorthRoom
Delmar Smith HallBuilding
Crater Rock MuseumCategory
Permanent
