How to Use coprolite in a Sentence

coprolite

noun
  • In one coprolite the researchers found the remains of three beetle species, including two wing cases and a part of a leg.
    Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 9 June 2017
  • In one coprolite the researchers found the remains of three beetle species, including two wing cases and a part of a leg.
    Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 9 June 2017
  • The scientists even spotted at least one clump of what appears to be a coprolite, or fossilized feces.
    Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2018
  • The researchers’ coprolite provides a valuable snapshot of what Silesaurus ate, and how.
    Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2021
  • The cylinder coprolite morphotype, on the other hand, was among the most common at Las Hoyas, and was typically chockfull of bony bits.
    Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 23 May 2018
  • Among the hands-on exhibitions are rocky casts of coprolite, otherwise known as dino dung.
    Mark Washburn, charlotteobserver, 25 May 2018
  • Drumheller-Horton adds that the site also preserved hundreds of coprolites, or fossilized feces.
    Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 10 June 2019
  • One particular coprolite caught the eye of researchers in China.
    Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 6 June 2022
  • If a coprolite is spiral-shaped, for instance, it might have been excreted by an ancient shark, since some modern fish (like sharks) have spiral-shaped intestines.
    Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2022
  • Children in rural Africa commonly have these microbes in abundance as well, suggesting that the Mexican coprolite may have been that of a young child.
    Adam Hadhazy, Discover Magazine, 23 July 2015
  • See and touch dinosaur coprolite (poop) in the Hall of Paleontology.
    Dina Mishev, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2022
  • Microscopic egg of fish tapeworm found in dog coprolite.
    Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 20 May 2022
  • Qvarnström and his colleagues uncovered a particular dime-size coprolite in a clay pit near Ozimek, Poland.
    Tess Joosse, Scientific American, 30 June 2021
  • But until now, only a limited amount could be learned from from studying fossilized feces, also known as coprolites.
    Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 9 June 2017
  • Enlarge / Scanning electron micrograph of a single fecal pellet (coprolite) found in the cranial cavity of a fossilized fish.
    Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2022
  • Preserved inside were several of the first ever fully intact beetles discovered in a coprolite.
    Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2021
  • That the coprolite exists after approximately 33 million years is one thing.
    Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 6 June 2022
  • Their study, published this week in the journal Scientific Reports, documents a new method to examine the treasures hidden within the coprolite without destroying the samples.
    Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 9 June 2017
  • An eighth-century coprolite, or fossilized feces, from a cave in Mexico provided the first evidence of an ancient human microbiome.
    Adam Hadhazy, Discover Magazine, 23 July 2015
  • Scientists have also examined Neanderthal coprolites for clues to the complex diets of these human relatives.
    National Geographic, 26 June 2017
  • Scientists have also examined Neanderthal coprolites for clues to the complex diets of these human relatives.
    National Geographic, 26 June 2017
  • Analysis of the Conejo Shelter coprolite revealed pollen that indicated the person had consumed succulents like yucca flowers.
    Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, 24 Apr. 2019
  • The coprolites contained genetic material from mushrooms that are colorful—often an indicator of having evolved to attract the attention of grazing animals—and that rely on animals to eat them and disperse their spores.
    Cathleen O'Grady, Ars Technica, 15 Feb. 2018
  • Exactly what species produced the coprolites is unknown, but after analyzing a third specimen of the same composition found nearby the scientists determined that it had been produced by a carnivorous vertebrate other than a shark.
    Brian Switek, WIRED, 16 Aug. 2010
  • Alternative options: Other fossils primed for printing include a Priscacara serrata fish, a Stephanoceras juhlei ammonite and a shasta ground sloth’s coprolite (essentially fossilized feces).
    Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, 27 Nov. 2019
  • Educated interpretation Although the coprolites yielded lots of information on the ecosystems surrounding the moa, questions remain.
    Cathleen O'Grady, Ars Technica, 15 Feb. 2018
  • Archaeologists and biologists have studied parasite eggs from human and animal coprolites, from ancient latrines, in the soil of archaeological graves, and even from mummified peoples’ digestive tracts.
    Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 28 Aug. 2019
  • In this particular coprolite cast, paleontologists found crushed, undigested bone.
    Rachael Lallensack, Smithsonian, 7 June 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coprolite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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