Coprolites from the Earliest Eocene Sundby Bed, Mors, Denmark and the Record of Marine Vertebrate Coprolites Across the Cretaceous/Paleogene Boundary

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The Eocene Sundby bed contains a highly diverse coprolite assemblage including three new ichnospecies, and changes in vertebrate coprolite morphotypes across the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary correspond to changes in the body fossil record. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Jesper Milàn; Adrian P. Hunt; Jan Audun Rasmussen

doi:10.3390/fossils4030026

September 8, 2026Fossil StudiesOpen Access

Coprolites from the Earliest Eocene Sundby Bed, Mors, Denmark and the Record of Marine Vertebrate Coprolites Across the Cretaceous/Paleogene Boundary

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Key Points

Characterize the diversity of marine coprolites from the earliest Eocene Sundby bed in Denmark and evaluate vertebrate coprolite turnover across the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary.
Morphological examination and taxonomic classification of over 1,000 coprolite specimens (N > 1,000) recovered from the Stolleklint Clay of the Ølst Formation at Sundby Klint East on Mors, Denmark.
Comparative analysis of marine vertebrate coprolite morphotype diversity across the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary relative to the established vertebrate body fossil record.
Identified seven distinct coprolite morphotypes in the Sundby bed, establishing it among the five largest Eocene coprolite assemblages known worldwide.
Erected three new coprolite ichnospecies: Uberosteus henrikmadseni, Iotabotulus mettehofstedtae, and Microbromus sundbyensis.
Documented pronounced morphotype transitions across the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary that correspond directly to vertebrate extinction and replacement patterns in the body fossil record.

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Implication

Fossil analysis reveals distinct morphotype shifts in marine vertebrate coprolites across the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, indicating traces mirror major body fossil turnovers.

Abstract

In total, 1000+ specimens of coprolites have been collected from the Eocene Sundby bed, which marks the top of the Stolleklint Clay of the Ølst Formation at the locality Sundby Klint East on the island Mors in northern Jylland, Denmark. The coprolites contain seven distinct morphotypes, including three new ichnospecies of coprolites, Uberosteus henrikmadseni igen. et isp. nov., Iotabotulus mettehofstedtae igen et isp. nov. and Microbromus sundbyensis igen et isp. nov. The coprolite assemblage from the Sundby bed is among the five largest Eocene coprolite faunas worldwide. The record of vertebrate coprolites across the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary records distinct changes in morphotypes which correspond to changes in the body fossil record.

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Milàn et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aa27ab158559d80afc7366f https://doi.org/10.3390/fossils4030026

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Coprolites from the Earliest Eocene Sundby Bed, Mors, Denmark and the Record of Marine Vertebrate Coprolites Across the Cretaceous/Paleogene Boundary

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Abstract

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Coprolites from the Earliest Eocene Sundby Bed, Mors, Denmark and the Record of Marine Vertebrate Coprolites Across the Cretaceous/Paleogene Boundary

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Cite This Study

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