Coprolite: yes, fossilized dung is a real and legitimate collectible

Coprolite is fossilized dung, and despite sounding like a novelty, it is a genuinely recognized and scientifically useful fossil type that can preserve real information about an extinct animal's diet, sometimes including identifiable bone fragments, plant material, or shell pieces within it. Coprolite forms through the same basic mineral replacement process as other fossils and can take on a wide range of colors and surface textures depending on the minerals involved. It is collected seriously by paleontologists and hobbyists alike, and well documented specimens with reliable locality and stratigraphic information genuinely do contribute to real research on extinct animal behavior and diet.