Fossil Friday: ancient poop offers insight into what the ancient, giant Moa birds ate
Hey, we get data wherever we can.
Sometimes, archeology is about finding a whole
T. rex and being showered with fame and glory. Other times, it’s about analyzing fossilized bird dung. Today’s story involves the latter.
The coprolite specimen, in all of its glory. Image credits Wood et al., (2021),
QSR.
Researchers at the Manaaki Whenua—Landcare Research Institute have recently discovered a deposit of moa coprolites (fossilized feces) in the Fiordland National Park, New Zealand. DNA sequencing and microscope analysis performed on the fossil, as well as our previous knowledge of where individual moa species lived, are helping us better understand what the little bush moa (