Coprolite Multimodal Analysis: A Tool for Hyaenid Predator Identification
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Paleontologists and archeologists reconstruct ancient ecosystems using data from carnivores' food remains. Carnivores have evolved to employ two primary feeding strategies: consuming mostly meat and focusing on both meat and bones, and these strategies result in the production of different feces. Hyenas are exemplary meat-eaters and bone-crushers. While fecal characteristics like shape, color, size, and inclusions are often used for species identification, the detailed composition of hyena feces remains largely unexplored. To address this, we conducted a multimodal analysis of feces-like coprolites from four modern Hyaenid species, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). This approach allowed for the detection and quantification of the proportions of calcium phosphate/carbonate, silts, organic matter, and crystallinity in the coprolites. Our preliminary findings suggest that multivariate statistical analysis of these components could provide a reliable method for species identification based solely on fecal content, results which can be applied in research on fossil materials.
Source: Animals
DOI: 10.3390/ani15081145
Authors: Yannicke Dauphin, Jean-Philip Brugal
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Sorbonne Université, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Aix-Marseille Université, Laboratoire Méditerranéen de Préhistoire Europe Afrique
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
OpenAlex ID: W4409507995