Just take a look at these magnificent, teeny, tiny carnivore coprolites! These little treasures were found by a poo pal, Ken Marks, in micro matrix from the Montrbrook Fossil Site. As with all coprolites, it is hard to identify the producers. Based on the environment in which these were produced and their size, we can make some educated guesses based on sphincter sculptures expelled by animals that exist today. These particular poops were produced in or near a swampy stream.
- Some modern fish poop strings of compact segments.
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The poop with the wedge-shaped segments is really unusual. Although I have not yet identified an animal that produced the modern-day equivalent, insects (including their larvae) often produce rather fancy feces.
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Some butterfly larvae (caterpillars) produce fecal chains comprised of more spherical segments, but I haven't seen them deposited in curved strings.
- Snails and slugs can produce squiggly (sinuous) strings of fecal matter. So can bees and wasps. The more stationary the animal at the time of production, the squigglier the poop!