PHYTOLITHS EXTRACTED FROM OLIGOCENE CARNIVORE COPROLITES

This is the first report of Oligocence carnivore coprolites found to contain plant phytoliths from the Scenic Member of the Brule Formation, White River Group of Badlands National Park. The phytoliths appear in four morphological groups: rods, cystoliths, crosses and spheres. The subgroups are further divided into hollow and crenulated rods; smooth and rugose cystoliths; four and eight spoked crosses; and rugose and smooth spheres. The phytoliths were extracted from 60 grams of coprolite sample processed in standard palynological fashion. The phytoliths were distributed between silt and very fine silt grain size (<20µm and 200µ).Many of the morphologies described conform favorably with C3 grasses but other plants are known to produce phytoliths. In addition to the phytoliths, tracheids and other plant structures were observed. This presence of phytolith in coprolites containing bone suggests more omnivory among fauna producing what has been described as carnivore coprolites.