This Dinosaur Coprolite was excavated in Utah in the late 1900?s. Dates from 150 to 200 Million years ago during the Jurassic Period of the Mesozoic Era when Dinosaurs roamed freely in North America. Provenance: Ex. Kelly Johnson Executive Private Collection. A coprolite (also known as a coprolith) is fossilized feces. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behavior. Coprolites have had much of their original composition replaced by mineral deposits such as silicates and calcium carbonates. British fossil hunter Mary Anning noticed as early as 1824 that "bezoar stones" were often found in the abdominal region of ichthyosaur skeletons found in the Lias formation at Lyme Regis. She also noted that if such stones were broken open they often contained fossilized fish bones and scales as well as sometimes bones from smaller ichthyosaurs. These observations by Anning led the geologist William Buckland to propose in 1829 that the stones were fossilized feces and to name them coprolites. Courtesy of Wikipedia. The identification of the exact species the coprolite came from is nearly impossible. Dating the coprolite is done by identifying dinosaur fossils nearby. The Era that specific dinosaurs existed in is well known by Paleontologists. Sliced and polished coprolites are very interesting to examine. Under a microscope you might find out what the dinosaurs? last meal was.