File #2719: "TftT Coprolite Brochure.pdf"
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Coprolites: A History
Mary Anning was one of the very first
paleontologists. Anning lived in England in
the early 1800's, and she was famous for her
discovery of many Jurassic marine
organisms, including the marine reptiles
Ichthyosaurus and Plesiosaurus. Anning also
was one of the first people to realize that
coprolites were actually fossilized feces.
Scan the QR code to learn
more or visit “Tales from
the Table” at
https://msstateexhibits.libraryhost.com/exhibits/show/tftt
TALES
FROM THE TABLE!
SPOTLIGHT SPECIMEN
COPROLITES
Anning kept finding these “stones” in the
abdomens of fossil marine reptiles. When she
cut the stones open, she found remains of
fossilized fish bones and scales. Anning told her
friend, fellow paleontologist William Buckland,
about her discovery, and he decided to name
the fossilized feces “coprolites,” meaning “dung
stone.”
The word “coprolite” refers to
fossilized animal feces. Coprolites
are “trace fossils.” Trace fossils
aren’t the preserved remains of
animals, rather they’re the preserved
remains of something the animal
made. Trace fossils preserve an
animal’s behavior--in the case of
coprolites, they can tell us what an
animal ate.
Can you match the prehisoric
animal to its coprolite?
Other Trace Fossils:
Animal burrows
Footprints
Tooth marks left on bone after
an animal fed on it
Icthyosaurs were marine reptiles that lived in the ocean. They had
bodies very similar to modern-day dolphins and they ate fish.
Scientists are able to tell what kind of animal
made a coprolite based on the food remains
found inside it.
By Fishboy86164577 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?
curid=112690921
Sauropod
Coprolite One
Sauropods were the long neck dinosaurs. Like modernday giraffes, they used their long necks to reach the
leaves on the tops of trees.
This coprolite contains leaves and bark.
Coprolite Two
By Poozeum - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39933906
Ichthyosaur
This coprolite contains bone fragments.
By Nobu Tamura (http://spinops.blogspot.com) - Own work, CC BY 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19462836
Theropod
Theropods were the two-legged meat eating dinosaurs. Some
of them were huge like T. rex and some were the size of house
cats.
Coprolite Three
This coprolite contains fish scales and bones
By GgfHghf - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?
curid=146192158
Answers:
Coprolite 1: Sauropod, Coprolite 2: Theropod, Coprolite 3: Ichthyosaur
What is a coprolite?
Mary Anning was one of the very first
paleontologists. Anning lived in England in
the early 1800's, and she was famous for her
discovery of many Jurassic marine
organisms, including the marine reptiles
Ichthyosaurus and Plesiosaurus. Anning also
was one of the first people to realize that
coprolites were actually fossilized feces.
Scan the QR code to learn
more or visit “Tales from
the Table” at
https://msstateexhibits.libraryhost.com/exhibits/show/tftt
TALES
FROM THE TABLE!
SPOTLIGHT SPECIMEN
COPROLITES
Anning kept finding these “stones” in the
abdomens of fossil marine reptiles. When she
cut the stones open, she found remains of
fossilized fish bones and scales. Anning told her
friend, fellow paleontologist William Buckland,
about her discovery, and he decided to name
the fossilized feces “coprolites,” meaning “dung
stone.”
The word “coprolite” refers to
fossilized animal feces. Coprolites
are “trace fossils.” Trace fossils
aren’t the preserved remains of
animals, rather they’re the preserved
remains of something the animal
made. Trace fossils preserve an
animal’s behavior--in the case of
coprolites, they can tell us what an
animal ate.
Can you match the prehisoric
animal to its coprolite?
Other Trace Fossils:
Animal burrows
Footprints
Tooth marks left on bone after
an animal fed on it
Icthyosaurs were marine reptiles that lived in the ocean. They had
bodies very similar to modern-day dolphins and they ate fish.
Scientists are able to tell what kind of animal
made a coprolite based on the food remains
found inside it.
By Fishboy86164577 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?
curid=112690921
Sauropod
Coprolite One
Sauropods were the long neck dinosaurs. Like modernday giraffes, they used their long necks to reach the
leaves on the tops of trees.
This coprolite contains leaves and bark.
Coprolite Two
By Poozeum - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39933906
Ichthyosaur
This coprolite contains bone fragments.
By Nobu Tamura (http://spinops.blogspot.com) - Own work, CC BY 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19462836
Theropod
Theropods were the two-legged meat eating dinosaurs. Some
of them were huge like T. rex and some were the size of house
cats.
Coprolite Three
This coprolite contains fish scales and bones
By GgfHghf - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?
curid=146192158
Answers:
Coprolite 1: Sauropod, Coprolite 2: Theropod, Coprolite 3: Ichthyosaur
What is a coprolite?