coprolite

Definition

A fossil consisting of petrified dung.

Etymology

From copro- + -lite.

Example Sentences

• "This coprolite (the technical term for palaeo-poo) has yielded much to modern scrutiny. First, it is completely devoid of plant matter, including the corn and other plants that the Anasazi Pueblo people of the region lived on."
• "Almost inevitably, he became the leading authority on coprolites – fossilized faeces – and had a table made entirely out of his collection of specimens."
• "Analyses of the DNA fragments preserved in the moa and kakapo coprolites showed that moa and kakapo fed on fungi."