egg-drop-height and anologs

[Phillip Bigelow <n8010095@henson.cc.wwu.edu>]

 Betty Cunningham wrote:
   
>We know dinosaurs had bodily functions, right?  We've found those.
>    We know they laid eggs with the same 'end', right?
>    From the copriolites (I KNOW I'm probably spelling that wrong, so it's
>dinodoodoo for the rest of this post) we know what kind of condition the
>dinodoodoo was when it hit the ground, right?  What kind of force would allow
>the dinodoodoo to keep the general doodoo shape and not splat?  Most of the
>stuff I've seen pictures of and video of was in a non-splat shape, (for the
>most part).
>    If the dinodoodoo did not fall from a great height, it was probably
>easier to retain the shape.
>     If the dinodoodoo doesn't fall from a great height, couldn't you allow
>for the eggs being laid also not falling from a great height?     

  Coprolite science (or paleo scatology) is no laughing matter, Betty.
    Until recent years, coprolites were considered only a curiousity
amoungst paleontologists, but that was before Karen Chin dug into the
subject and gave it the respect that coprolite science deserves.  Karen
started out as a naturalist guide before becoming a paleontologist, so she
had plenty of time to identify trail-raisins.
  According to what Karen has written, dino-doo can be classified as either
herbivorous or as carnivore.  Herbivore doo, according to Karen, probably 
had the consistency close to that of modern ruminants in the typical farm
yard setting. 'Nuff said on that.  Carnivore coprolites, on the other hand,
strongly resemble mammalian carnivore scat, in that the "waste-units" are
long, convoluted, creased, and tubular.  Carnivore cop's also contain chewed-up 
bone fragments.  Geochemically, carnivore cop's also contain a high
percentage of potassium and phosphorous compared to herbivore cop's.  The
distinctive quality of carnivore coprolite "nuggets" is that the shape is
maintained after the doo contacts the ground.  Not so with the herbivore
doo, according to Karen.  So, distance to the ground is a factor with the
herbivore coprolites, but is not a factor with the carnivore cop's.
   Surprisingly, considering her line of work, Ms. Chin is a personable and
well-adjusted woman. I went to one of her talks a while ago, and there is a
lot of potential paleobiology to come out of that end of dinosaur
paleontology.  <by the way, Karen found the first evidence of Cretacous dug
beetles>.
  For more information on Karen Chin and her work, check out Louis Psihoys
(sp) book  "Hunting Dinosaurs".  Karen has also published a couple abstracts
on her work in the S.V.P. Abstracts over the last couple years or so, and,
undoubtably, in other venues as well.