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Cash for Dino Droppings

April 29, 2008 2:56 PM

A pair of 140-million-to-150-million-year-old dino droppings are set to drop on the auction block of Bonhams New York Wednesday.

Bonhams fossil specialist Thomas Lindgren described the droppings as a "conversation piece," which are estimated to sell for $350 or more, placing them on the cheaper end of prehistoric collectibles.

"Dinosaur teeth, for example, are much more expensive," Lindgren said, "but it's just an interesting idea that this is what's left of a meal of a dinosaur 150 million years ago."

Though fossilized dinosaur dung (called coprolite, which in Greek means “dung stone”) is valued by paleontologists  who can use it to learn about dino diets, these droppings don't have scientific value because they no longer retain the original pieces of food ingested by the dinosaur, Lindgren explained.

"People are more interested in the curiosity side of it -- a sense of humor sort of thing. I've seen little jokes played between people," he said. "Someone will say, 'Would you like to smell my rock?' then the person will say it's dino dung, and the other person will quickly pull it away from his nose."

The pair of droppings are "very hard" and show "beautiful reds, greys, blacks, whites and a little ochre," Lindgren said, pointing out that the dung no longer smells.

Also to be auctioned tomorrow is the Fukang meteorite, the most expensive meteorite in the world, which gram for gram is worth its weight in gold or ,more  literally, a "celestial gemstone," Lindgren said.

It is expected to fetch anywhere from $2.25 million to 2.75 million. A peculiar fossil of a piranha-like fish, which died in the middle of a feeding frenzy, will also go on sale. The fish died while trying to eat another fish, which was too big for its belly. It was fossilized with the other fish sticking out of its mouth. 

"It's the death of a two animals, who unfortunately met each other in a fateful moment of gluttony," Lindgren said.

--Jung Song

April 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0)

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