Royal Saskatchewan Museum: Research: FAQS: Earth Sciences Unit: What is a coprolite? How do you know when you're looking at one?

FAQS: Earth Sciences Unit

What is a coprolite? How do you know when you're looking at one?

A coprolite is fossilized animal dung. That's right, it is petrified poop! Coprolites are very useful tools to help scientists discover what ancient animals ate and how they digested their food. They can have the distinctive look of a dropping and may contain fragments of undigested material. These fragments can give us clues as to whether the animal was a herbivore (plant-eater) or a carnivore (meat-eater). Some of the better preserved coprolites contain seeds, wood, leaves, mollusks, fish scales, bones or teeth.

Dr. Harold Bryant, RSM Earth Sciences curator, showing the coprolite to two young museum visitors.
Dr. Harold Bryant showing the coprolite to museum visitors.

The world’s largest known carnivore coprolite.

Bone fragments in a carnivore's dung are often all lined up in one direction as a result of being pushed through the digestive tract. By examining these bone fragments, palaeontologists may be able to determine what kind of animal was eaten. In 1995, the palaeo team at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum discovered the largest carnivore coprolite in the world! It was found in southwestern Saskatchewan and it most likely came from a Tyrannosaurus rex! For more information, check out the story on the World's Most Famous Dung.

For further information contact the Curator of Earth Sciences

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