It doesn't stink

[Wilson]

inch: These examples were found by scuba divers in the Cooper River in South Carolina :rolf: :rolf: :rolf: I was told that they were possibly sperm whale poop. He said that the sperm whales would go up into the rivers to hide from the great whites eating them. He also said that this species was eaten into extinction :dunno: I was wondering what it was that the leaver of the poop was eating prior to ejection :rolf: :woohoo:

[Havenhunter]

Although sperm whale populations have never recovered from the slaughter by whale hunters (not Great Whites!), in the 18th -and- 19thc., -and- is still going on by Japan, sperm whales are not extinct. 
A sperm whale is entirely too large to swim up tidal rivers to escape anything; however scientists did just recently track a radio tagged female Great White up in the Pamlico Sound recently. Perhaps she heard this load of a whale poop story too -and- went looking.  :rolf:

[painshill]

There’s a lot wrong with various parts of the logic here.
It’s true that sperm whales are not extinct, but they are part of the superfamily Physeteroidea, which includes multiple genera known as “sperm whales”, including at least nine extinct genera across multiple species.  They aren’t/weren’t all as large as Phyester macrocephalus (what most people mean when they say “sperm whale”). The modern pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) doesn’t usually exceed 11 feet and the dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) doesn’t usually exceed 9 feet in length. Those smaller species also had ancestors in the fossil record.
Large whale fossils are certainly to be found in the Cooper River sediments (mostly from the Miocene), as are Megalodon shark teeth. It is fair to conclude that what is now the Cooper River was a very much larger and deeper estuarine environment in those times, given the size of the animals which left these fossils. It doesn’t make sense to suggest that large whales could seek refuge up-river from predators that were of similar size (Megalodon sharks reached 60 feet or more, which is not much different than the largest sperm whales). Equally,would not smaller whales fleeing up-river be chased by smaller predatory sharks than Megalodon (including others apart from great white ancestors)?
While those do indeed look like large coprolites of the type frequently found in the Cooper River, it’s not usually possible to reliably assign them to particular animals. I’ve seen them sold as Megalodon coprolites too (since it justifies a higher price). All sharks have a relatively short gut, which has a spiral valve designed to slow down the passage of food and improve nutrient absorption. That spiral is usually also evident in the coprolite but may be obscured in heavily eroded river finds. Without detailed microscopic examination of sectioned material to look for undigested remains that may point to a particular diet (or, often in sharks, particular parasites) the assignation is just speculation.
They are nevertheless nice chunky specimens.

[Havenhunter]

painshill wrote:

There’s a lot wrong with various parts of the logic here.
It’s true that sperm whales are not extinct, but they are part of the superfamily Physeteroidea, which includes multiple genera known as “sperm whales”, including at least nine extinct genera across multiple species.  They aren’t/weren’t all as large as Phyester macrocephalus (what most people mean when they say “sperm whale”). The modern pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) doesn’t usually exceed 11 feet and the dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) doesn’t usually exceed 9 feet in length. Those smaller species also had ancestors in the fossil record.
Large whale fossils are certainly to be found in the Cooper River sediments (mostly from the Miocene), as are Megalodon shark teeth. It is fair to conclude that what is now the Cooper River was a very much larger and deeper estuarine environment in those times, given the size of the animals which left these fossils. It doesn’t make sense to suggest that large whales could seek refuge up-river from predators that were of similar size (Megalodon sharks reached 60 feet or more, which is not much different than the largest sperm whales). Equally,would not smaller whales fleeing up-river be chased by smaller predatory sharks than Megalodon (including others apart from great white ancestors)?
While those do indeed look like large coprolites of the type frequently found in the Cooper River, it’s not usually possible to reliably assign them to particular animals. I’ve seen them sold as Megalodon coprolites too (since it justifies a higher price). All sharks have a relatively short gut, which has a spiral valve designed to slow down the passage of food and improve nutrient absorption. That spiral is usually also evident in the coprolite but may be obscured in heavily eroded river finds. Without detailed microscopic examination of sectioned material to look for undigested remains that may point to a particular diet (or, often in sharks, particular parasites) the assignation is just speculation.
They are nevertheless nice chunky specimens.

Point well stated. However to be told that sperm whales were extinct because they were eaten by Great Whites is to grossly overstate the abilities of even megalodons in the food chain. People will sell buyers a load (pardon the pun) just to make money. They are however, as you point out, nice -and- chunky, regardless their origin.

[Wilson]

Boy I just learned alot. Thank yall.  At least these were only 30 bucks a poop....lol

[Sunny]

Biggest coprolites I have ever seen; pretty impressive
I would have thought they were terrestrial droppings that solidified and were later buried.  I 'm not saying you don't get marine deposited coprolites, I just haven't found any myself in all of the marine deposits here in the UK.
I used to free-climb a 150ft cliff for the Rheatic Bone bed, at Aust Cliff, Gloucestershire, to collect Triassic fossils; which included many excellently preserved coprolites.  They looked as fresh as the day they were deposited :0)
In the Triassic the area was a large flood plain that dried out for many years between flash floods.  When the water flooded it carried the poo and buried them in sediments, along with bones from large terrestrial amphibians etc.  During the flooding phases the area was invaded by species of armoured fish which would then perish as the waters receded and they became trapped.  Their scales are the most abundant remains in the jumble of bones, coprolites and other fossils that can be found.
I see that it is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest, so no doubt climbing and hacking out lumps of the fossil bed are no longer allowed; spoilt sports !
Anyway, best of luck for future trips....gotta be a megaldon tooth out there with your name on it.....and that is one very cool fossil

[Havenhunter]

Tonkawa wrote:

Boy I just learned alot. Thank yall.  At least these were only 30 bucks a poop....lol

  Well, one way or the other, the forum will give you the straight scoop on the poop!