Sea Turtle Coprolite Fossil (ex Bill and Anne Cook Collection)

Item Description

Coprolites occupy a special category of fossils. They are actually called "trace fossils" because they are a preservation of an organism's behavior rather than the physical appearance. For those who don't know, Coprolites are fossilized "leavings" of ancient animals, and in the case of this specimen, it originated from a sea turtle that lived in the Cretaceous Period about 80 million years ago. The distinctive spiral or "corkscrew" shape are indicative of marine animals, and although I haven't seen many of these, this one is notably well-preserved. If you're a fossil enthusiast, this is something that you don't often see on the market, and for the size and quality, it's a very worthwhile example to add to your collection. From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio. This husband and wife duo were actively involved in the mineral world for many decades. Bill was a PhD geologist, and Anne was a mathematician, and they both were very serious mineral collectors. Bill served for many years as adjunct curator of mineralogy at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the Micromounters' Hall of Fame on October 12, 2019. Both Bill and Anne, at various times, served as president both of the Mineralogical Society of Cleveland and of the Micromineral Society of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the mi The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.