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History
Dr. William Buckland, a 19th-century paleontologist, coined the term "coprolite." However, paleontologists after him considered coprolites worthless and usually discarded them. Only recently have paleontologists begun to study coprolites in earnest.
Types of Coprolites
Scientists have discovered coprolites belonging to a variety of animals, including dinosaurs, sharks, marine reptiles, large fish, prehistoric mammals and humans. The source of a coprolite can be determined by looking at its size and shape and the materials found within it.
Human Coprolites
Human coprolites are a good example of what coprolites can teach us, because so much research has been done with them. Coprolites have provided information on what ancient humans ate, when humans settled in the Americas and what parasites infected prehistoric human populations.