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incessantly since the first dinosaur fossil was unearthed by Robert Plot in 1676, dinosaur fever has septic almost everyone. Dinosaurs captivate us not only because of the enormous sizing that some of them attained, but because of their extraordinary diversity. Encompassing such(prenominal)(prenominal) astonishing creatures as the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex, the majestic Triceratops and the cunning raptors, dinosaurs argon truly fascinating.From such fascination many questions arise. How were the dinosaurs able to survive for such a presbyopic period of time? Why did they become so large? merely what was their everyday existence like?These questions have puzzled scientists for geezerhood. But by looking at fossils, paleontologists have been able to learn much some the dinosaurs. They can infer the appearance of these creatures in life-like detail as they existed millions of years ago. They can investigate their diet. And they can find out about the agency dinosaurs interacted both among themselves and with their environment.Despite the frequent media attention given to discoveries of dinosaur hit the books, especially skulls, the equity is that such fossils are rare, much rarer than fossils of most plants and invertebrate animals. Thus, although bones are of great interest, if we had no other evidence, we would have a much little accurate picture of the dinosaurs than we in fact possess.How, then, has it been possible to learn so much about these terrible lizards when we have so few bones to study? The answer lies in trace fossils. As the name implies, a trace fossil is a "trace" of an ancient organism such as a footprints, a tooth or bite mark, or a coprolite.Footprints and tooth marks, yes, but coprolites? As any paleontologist will tell you, a coprolite is a piece of fossilized goop. Why would anyone study fossilized dung? Well, if you really want to know, you would do well to ask Karen Chin, visiting scientist with the U.S. geologic Surv ey, Menlo Park, CA, who is the worlds foremost expert on dinosaur dung.Chin is considered a rising champion of paleontology. At Montana State, she studied under the prominent and controversial fanny Horner. Now she is hitting the lecture circuit, explaining to enthused audiences around the nation the importance of dino dung.From the University of California, Santa Barbara, Ph.D. in hand, Chin took up the seemingly unusual notion of studying the faecal remains of Triceratops and other herbivorous dinosaurs. Soon, however, she was diverted by a shed beyond her chosen area of study.