Coprolites from the Late Triassic Kap Stewart Formation, Jameson Land, East Greenland: morphology, classification and prey inclusions BITTEN BOLVIG HANSEN 1 *, JESPER MILA ` N 1,2 , LARS B. CLEMMENSEN 3 , JAN SCHULZ ADOLFSSEN 2 , ELIZA JARL ESTRUP 4 , NICOLE KLEIN 5 , OCTA ´ VIO MATEUS 6,7 & OLIVER WINGS 8,9 1 Natural History Museum of Denmark, Øster Voldgade 5 – 7, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark 2 Geomuseum Faxe/Østsjællands Museum, Østervej 2, DK-4640 Faxe, Denmark 3 Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark 4 Geocenter Møns Klint, Stenga ˚rdsvej 8, DK-4751 Borre, Denmark 5 Staatliches Museum fu ¨r Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart, Germany 6 Department of Earth Sciences, GeoBioTec, Faculdade de Cie ˆncias e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal 7 Museu da Lourin ˜ha, Rua Joa ˜o Luis de Moura 95, 2530-158 Lourinha ˜, Portugal 8 Landesmuseum Hannover, Willy-Brandt-Allee 5, 30169 Hannover, Germany 9 Museum fu ¨r Naturkunde Berlin, Invalidenstraße 43, D-10115 Berlin, Germany *Corresponding author (e-mail: bottenhansen@hotmail.com) Abstract: A large collection of vertebrate coprolites from black lacustrine shales in the Late Trias- sic (Rhaetian–Sinemurian) Kap Stewart Formation, East Greenland is examined with regard to internal and external morphology, prey inclusions, and possible relationships to the contemporary vertebrate fauna. A number of the coprolites were mineralogically examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), showing the primary mineral composition to be apatite, clay minerals, carbonates and, occasionally, quartz in the form of secondary mineral grains. The coprolite assemblage shows mul- tiple sizes and morphotypes of coprolites, and different types of prey inclusions, demonstrating that the coprolite assemblage originates from a variety of different producers. Supplementary material: A description of the size, shape, structure, texture, contents and pres- ervation of the 328 specimens is available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.2134335 Coprolites are important palaeoenvironmental indi- cators because they record the feeding activities of extinct animals (Hunt et al. 2012a). Their preserva- tion is often dependent on factors similar to those that favour the preservation of skeletal remains, but sometimes they can also be preserved where no bone material is present. Coprolites are trace fos- sils that cannot usually be tied to a producer on the species, or even the genera, level and they do not have any application in cladistics. Because of this, vertebrate coprolites are rarely systematically col- lected in the field, and only few scientists devote their time to describing and interpreting this type of fossil (Hunt et al. 2012c). Nonetheless, coprolites represent animal behaviour preserved in rock and can potentially open windows into past ecologies that body fossils cannot. The shape and contents of a coprolite are dependent on the intestines and feeding habits of its producer, and can provide evidence of links in the food chain. Details of the local palaeoenvironment may be evident from cop- rolites when, for instance, sand grains or twigs have become stuck to the surface prior to hardening and fossilization. In the same way, trapped gas vesicles, desiccation cracks and traces of coprophagic organ- isms can indicate that a coprolite was subaerially exposed for some time prior to fossilization (North- wood 2005; Mila `n et al. 2012b). Vertebrate copro- lites may also preserve small material as pollen and seeds, fragile bones or even soft tissue that is rarely preserved elsewhere (Hunt et al. 2012a). In the summer of 2012, members of the Geocen- ter Møns Klint Dinosaur Expedition searched for Late Triassic vertebrate fossils and ichnofossils at From:Kear, B. P., Lindgren, J., Hurum, J. H., Mila `n, J. & Vajda, V. (eds) 2016. Mesozoic Biotas of Scandinavia and its Arctic Territories. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 434, 49–69. First published online December 17, 2015, http://doi.org/10.1144/SP434.12 # 2016 The Author(s). Published by The Geological Society of London. All rights reserved. For permissions: http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/permissions. Publishing disclaimer: www.geolsoc.org.uk/pub_ethics by guest on May 20, 2016 http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ Downloaded from