A Coprolitic Vision for Paleontology Education

Some students enter geoscience classrooms as reluctant learners. Our research, in both informal and formal science settings, has shown that both the history of geology and the introduction of interesting fossils can pique the curiosity of students, transforming them into motivated learners.

Coprolites serve as one of the most interesting topics that we researched in our paleontology courses. Although William Buckland initially proposed the term in 1829, he had investigated fossil feces from Kirkland Cave (album graecum) as early as 1821. Buckland's examination of Bezoar stones from Lyme Regis revealed spiral structure, with incorporated fish scales and cephalopod fragments. Buckland injected Roman cement into modern fish intestines to examine the origin of the ancient coprolite structures; his investigations contributed to the foundations of paleoecology (Boylan 1997). Buckland's fascination—and perhaps liberal interpretation—of coprolite research inspired his contemporary, De la Beche, to draw and distribute the humorous scientific caricature, Coprolitic Vision.

In our master's level paleontology course composed primarily of practicing educators, we assigned coprolites as a quarterly laboratory research topic over two semesters. In addition to paleontology investigation, our students (n=16, n= 12) developed classroom activities for their own K-12 classrooms utilizing coprolites. Students submitted a variety of activities, including classroom investigations of an organism's “Last Supper,” and the reconstruction of organisms' environments and physical appearances through fecal remains.

Anonymous survey responses (N=23) revealed great student interest and practical applicability for coprolites, reaching beyond base humor into scientific paleobiological research. Students remarked that coprolites precipitate more questions than body fossils, and were a topic that can “hook students into science forever.”

Excellence in paleontology education need not always be based on the newest discoveries and techniques. We assert that a reintroduction of Buckland's enthusiasm for coprolitic research in the classroom can develop even the youngest of paleontology aficionados.