Coprolite expert (wasRe: When crocodiles poop)

["Ralph W. Miller III" <gbabcock@best.com>]

"Stewart, Dwight" wrote:

> Speaking of poo poo, my wife found several objects in a dry river bed in
> Western Bexar county that MIGHT be dinosaur droppings.  Any input on who we
> could send a sample too (at my expense) to identify these fossilized
> samples?

Karen Chin is the leading specialist on coprolites of all kinds.  She has stated
that very few Mesozoic age coprolites can be identified as belonging to
dinosaurs (much less a particular genus), but she has identified _Maiasaura_ and
_Tyrannosaurus_ coprolites.  Many rocks look like coprolites in general
appearance, so a suspected coprolite must be sectioned for content analysis.
You can read one of her recent papers (the _Nature_ paper on the _Tyrannosaurus
rex_ coprolite) at <http://geology.wr.usgs.gov/king-sized-coprolite.html>.
Here is her address:

United States Geological Survey
Western Geological Mapping Team
345 Middlefield Road, MS 975
Menlo Park  CA  94025-3591

I also have a phone number and a Fax number, but I am sending these to you
privately.

Ralph W. Miller III  <gbabcock@best.com>