Study of 300-million-year-old faeces finds meat on the menu

The coprolite sample used in the study. Curtin researchers have analysed organic molecules preserved within 306-million-year-old fossilised animal faeces (coprolite) and unlocked a wealth of information about the diets of long-extinct animals and prehistoric ecosystems. Lead author PhD candidate Madison Tripp from Curtin's WA-Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC) said the research had revealed important biomolecular information that, despite being millions of years old, remained intact at a well-preserved fossil site. "The samples, collected from Mazon Creek in Illinois and supplied by Field Museum Chicago, are the first coprolites of the 60-million-year-spanning Carboniferous age to be studied for organic molecules," Ms Tripp said. "By studying these molecules preserved inside the fossilised faeces samples, we found fascinating dietary information about an unidentifiable extinct animal from Earth's distant past - showing that the animal was a meat-eater or on a predominantly carnivorous diet. "Molecular analysis of the faeces or coprolites showed two clear indicators the animal was carnivorous.