Criminals steal London dino's dung

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

It took a big dinosaur to make dung this large. This coprolite was likely from a _Maiasaura_, an herbivorous dinosaur that walked upright on its hind legs. Karen Chin

Blogging on EARTH

A series of robberies over the past five years at London’s Natural History Museum has curators frustrated — and puzzled. From stuffed squirrels to scarab beetles, it seems that anything that can be carried is vulnerable. But most oddly, some thieves made off with a piece of fossilized dinosaur dung.

It's a Dirty Job, But Someone's Gotta Do It

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Coprolite research takes an unexpected turn. Callan Bentley

Coprolite specialist Karen Chin examines dinosaur dung under a microscope to look for ancient pollens or other clues to the dinosaur's diet. Karen Chin

Participants in a Smithsonian dinosaur dig workshop carry coprolite specimens from the Two Medicine Formation in Wyoming. Karen Chin

It took a big dinosaur to make dung this large. This coprolite was likely from a _Maiasaura_, an herbivorous dinosaur that walked upright on its hind legs. Karen Chin

Faux coprolites have been carved out of the walls along Salmon Creek in Washington. George Mustoe

Although these deposits from Washington closely resemble fossilized feces - closely enough to have been used in practical jokes - most researchers who have examined them say they are not coprolites. George Mustoe of Western Washington University says they are siderite deposits. George Mustoe

Thousands of human coprolite deposits have been found in Hinds Cave in Texas. Glenna Dean

Glenna Dean, once called the Empress of Excrement, studied coprolites at Hinds Cave. Glenna Dean

Fossilized feces reveal significant details about ancient life

How often do you laugh when you talk to a scientist? Over the years, I have interviewed and talked with dozens of geologists, biologists and archaeologists. I often come away feeling the researcher’s passion and excitement about his or her subject, but rarely do I come away with a sense of mirth, until I started to talk to people who work with coprolites. I don’t mean to imply that the researchers aren’t serious about their work — they are. But they also exude a healthy sense of humor.

Coprolite on EARTH Magazine

Criminals steal London dino's dung

Blogging on EARTH

It's a Dirty Job, But Someone's Gotta Do It

Fossilized feces reveal significant details about ancient life