Seriosly. The little I know about fossils came from documentaries on the National Geographic channel, but I suppose that fossilized dinosaur DROPPINGS can give far more hints about what the animal used to eat, possible diseases and microorganisms, digestion, chemicals, etc. Do archaelogists study fossilized dino droppings too? And we just don’t know that cause skeletons are far cooler?
The word you are looking for is ‘coprolith’. (Not something I’d want to study, but I am sure someone does for a living.)
WAG - but fossilization would destroy soft tissues and organism such as leaves and bacteria, so you are not liekly to find much but rock.
I’m pretty sure I saw some for sale in one of those science/discovery stores.
Sure, but maybe the fossilized IMPRINT of leaves and small animals can give some clues. What if they find a fossilized human skeleton in, say, a fossilized tiranosaur dodo? THAT would be aaaaa-mazing!
(yeah, not gonna happen, but it WOULD be amazing)
Yes, there is, it’s called “Corprolite” I believe. Some people make jewelry out of it. What’s really amazing is that other people will BUY that jewelry. I mean, can you imagine?
“Wow, what a great necklace!”
“Thanks! It’s dinosaur excrement!”
Just the perfect gift for someone who has everything.
coprolite \Cop"ro*lite, n. [Gr. ko`pros dung + -lite.] (Paleon.) A piece of petrified dung; a fossil excrement.
I bought one a few years ago. It looks pretty much like a rock.
At least one person has become famous for studying coprolites. Information on Karen Chin, “the Queen of dinosaur poop”, can be found in the following dino magazine, although you need to view it with acrobat reader.
Thanks!