Poo of millions of years old! Fossilized turtle droppings found in Madagascar. Read more.
Coprolites are fossilized excrement
Poo of millions of years old
The fossilized turds come from the Eocene and are between 33.9 and 56 million years old! This fossilized poo was found in Madagascar and most likely came from a turtle. Researchers are always very happy with coprolite because it can tell something about the diet of the animal in question.
Climate fossil
It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you look at these turds, but they can tell a lot about the climate at the time they were made. The tracks left in the droppings contain information about the surrounding vegetation. Was it dry or wet then? Warm or very cold? These fossils know it all
These turds don't stink!
Like other fossils, most of the organic matter has been converted to minerals and lime. That's why these fossils don't stink! They still have the exact shape of when they were made, but luckily no longer the smell!