DINOSAUR "POOP" POINT
MADE BY DAN THEUS
MODERN
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COPYRIGHT
APRIL 30, 2010 PETER A. BOSTROM
This skillfully crafted corner notched point was made by Dan Theus.
It was made from an especially colorful piece of fossilized dinosaur
coprolite. The fossil had been cut in two pieces which showed the center had
become agatized. The surrounding crust was cut away to extract the
usable (knapable) stone. This point measures 3 9/16 inches (9.1 cm)
long.
Coprolites were first described by William Buckland in 1828
as the fossil remains of dinosaur feces. They are classified as
trace fossils as opposed to body fossils because they give evidence
for the animal's behavior rather than morphology. Coprolites are
composed mainly of calcium phosphate and minor quantities of organic
matter. They were transformed by replacing their original
composition with mineral deposits such as silicates and calcium
carbonates. Paleontologists consider this type of fossil important
because they provide evidence of animal predation and the diets of
extinct species. Inclusions in the stone can indicate the meal
contents of the dinosaur. Coprolites range in size from under an inch up to almost
2 feet (60 cm) across.
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