The scientific value of fossilized dino-dung

The scientific value of fossilized dino-dung

Posted 11.30.2005 by PooperGal

Egyptologists have revealed a wealth of human history with their discoveries of ancient mummies and pyramid chambers filled with treasure. Astronomers can expound on the origins of the universe itself by analyzing asteroids, dust, gases and light emissions from distant stars. But what of those stalwart scientists who study the mysteries of life on Earth through the analysis of fossil poop?

There are, apparently, paleontologists who have dedicated themselves not to examining entire skeletons of dinosaurs, but to gaining an understanding of the creatures that once roamed the planet by exploring the bodily excretions and detritus of those bygone beasts. And not just poop (the fossilized remains of which are dubbed "coprolites"), but all of the fixin's, including vomit and undigested intestinal residue -- each of which has also been given its own Latinized (sanitized?) scientific moniker. I suspect that if boogers could be preserved in the fossil record, these guys would be dissecting those too, and that they would also have a scientific name as pretty as "coprolite."

This week's news brings a profile of one such intrepid poop fossil-hunter: Adrian Hunt, an Englishman who is now director of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and an avid advocate of coprolitic research. It figures that a Brit would find himself on this career path. After all, Brits (followed closely by the French) practically wrote the book on scatological humor and obsession.

But dinosaurs aren’t the only ones who leave their poop behind. Perhaps, in some faraway future, a race of scientists will be examining the fecal remains of you and me, using them to postulate what our lifestyles must have been. My advice: load up on corn and Mountain Dew Pitch Black. Let's give our 23nd-Century discoverers something to really puzzle over.

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Show some poop support, or make a poop retort.

Logjam (2452) -- 11.30.2005

PoopGal, does it really take 2 centuries for shit to fossilize? I'd swear it could turn to rock in one's shorts if left there for only a couple hours.

Fart Poopie (1257) -- 12.01.2005

That's interesting. I didn't think you could tell what a dinosaur ate by studying fossilized poop. For some reason I thought the undigested foods dissintegrated. Oh well. Ya learn something new everyday.

PooperGal (527) -- 12.01.2005

What happens, is that over the eons, the organic matter in poop is gradually leached out and replaced point-by-point by mineral deposits, creating a perfect stone replica of the original dump. Because hard substances like tooth enamel are already minerals to begin with, they remain relatively unchanged. Proteinaceous materials such as scales or claws will also eventually have their original organic substances replaced by minerals, but in perfect replication of the original forms. So, paleopoopologists can determine the types of things the critter ate, and make hypotheses about its life and habits.

Any undigested material gets fossilized as well, just as fallen/uneaten leaves and seeds are fossilized inside mud sediments. So, if a dinosaur had a bellyful of undigested plant material when it died, that stuff would turn into its own distinct fossil if the conditions are right for fossilization.

Some museums sell beautiful fossil ferns or fish skeletons, naturally embedded in slate), in their giftshops. Now, they have the option of selling fossil turds too, for those who want unique coffee table decor.

Paleopoopologists are veritable Sherlock Holmeses of crap. They ROCK...er...FOSSIL.

PooperGal
"Searching for the Origin of the Feces"

Fart Poopie (1257) -- 12.02.2005

Well, ignorance is what I get for not bothering to study about fossilized Dino poop. :)

Thanks for the tidbit Poopergal.

L Wrong Hubbard (216) -- 12.05.2005

PooprGal, that was impressive. You could teach "poop fossilization 101" at my college

Happy trails,
L. Wrong
Chairman & CEO, PPK Industries

healthy 1 (1427) -- 11.30.2006

That is interesting, I always assumed that when something petrefied, it turned into some form of rock. I guess poop doesn't.
_______
Watch out for the deadly F4, though he's been gone since '53, he will be back.

The Big Wiper (2245) -- 11.30.2006

I wonder how popular 'Jurassic Park' would have been if the plot had called for extracting DNA from dino poop? Would that have been a big 'Ewww!' all around? It was gross enough that Laura Dern stuck her hands in a gigantic steaming pile searching for poisonous plant materials.

catwuvr (not verified) -- 06.17.2007

I belong to the Evansville Lapidary Society and have created a beautiful cabochon from dino poop. The next step in the prosess of the coprolite is to wrap in fine gold or silver wire in order to turn it into jewelry to wear on a silver or gold chain. It's so cool to be able to tell people that I'm wearing a poop-pendant. Oooh, send me some pretrified dung! Remember: Coprolites happen!