I’ve said it a million times here on Unofficial Networks, and I’ll say it again- The National Parks Service (@nationalparkservice) is a must-follow for everybody on Instagram. They’re constantly publishing interesting content.
Today’s little nugget of information is about fossilized poop, called Coprolite. Coprolite is a word derived from Greek which roughly translates to ‘poop stone’. Pretty great, right?
Take a look at the full National Parks Service Instagram post below to read about fossilized poop and check out some pictures. It’s kind of gross, but so interesting what scientists can learn from these fossilized feces.
“Coprolite happens…
A coprolite (also known as a coprolith) is fossilized feces. Yeah, it’s a poop post. 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.
At @fossilbuttenps, coprolites come in all shapes and sizes. They are the most common fossil found in the Green River Formation (GRF) of Fossil Basin. Fun fossil fact! The term “coprolite” has its roots in the Greek language, derived from kopros, which means dung, and lithos, which means stone. Thus, “poop stone.” Thank you. We’re here all week.”
