Dinosaur Coprolite 104mm

Dinosaur coprolite from a Juvenile? dinosaur, attributed to Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, the ferocious predatory abelisaurid hunter of the North African Cretaceous. Colloquially named the north African Tyrannosaurus. Albeit Carcharodontosaur was actually bigger and heavier than T'rex; C. saharicus size ranged between 12 metres and 13.3 metres (39 feet to 44 feet) and weight estimates run between 6.2 and 15.1 metric tonnes. The largest complete Tyrannosaurus unearthed nicknamed Sue, after Sue Hendrickson who discovered her, measured 12.3 metres (40 feet) long, and was 3.66 metres (12 feet) tall at the hips, according to the most recent studies, estimated to have weighed between 8.4 metric tonnes to 14 metric tonnes when alive. Reports conclude that not every adult Tyrannosaurus specimen unearthed to date is as big as Sue. making Carcharodontosaurus king of the carnivores on both continents.

C.saharicus roamed during the mid-Cretaceous, in the Cenomanian stage around 100,000,000 to 93.900,000 years ago, whereas Tyrannosaurus was the new lightweight dino on the block during the Maastrichtian stage around 72,100,000 to 66,000,000 years ago. Much has been made about how each would fare in a straight battle between these two mega-dinosaurs if millions of years had not separated them!

The slightly flattened coprolite has dense ridges running around the exterior surface of the petrified and thence fossilised dino dung. These specimens are quite important fossils for the identification purposes of the dinosaurs diet and the fauna in the region in that part of the Cretaceous period, the specimen is scientifically packed with information.

Coprolites can be viewed along side modern animal droppings, estimations can be drawn as to the size and from what type of animal produced the faces. In the nineteenth century palaeontologist, William Buckland noted that ridges on fossilised ichthyosaur coprolites were similar to the ridges of modern sharks, these ridges in modern sharks are caused by the sharks intestinal tracked. This specimen is of a large size, has the very good colour of coral pinks and tan brown over the cream ground, coupled with the very well defined form and appears to be a coprolite fully packed with information.

This specimen of fossilised dung was discovered in the Red beds of the Tegana formation, Kem kem, in the region adjacent the Moroccan and Algerian border. An incredibly arid region which over the last two decades has produced a partial Carcharodontosaurus skeleton. Scientists can determine diets of prehistoric animals, how their digestion worked and an indicator to the seasonal changes that occurred millions of years ago once seeds and plant matter is microscopically analysed.