Cretaceous Arctic Coprolite Evidence for Sturgeon Migration

Upper Cretaceous fossil evidence from Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada, supports marine vertebrate migration. The dataset, authored by Franklin Duffy and last updated in 2026, likely contains data from coprolite analyses used to infer migratory behavior. It includes evidence such as paleolatitude, coprolite abundance, and contents attributed to sturgeons.

Use Cases

• Study seasonal migration patterns based on paleolatitude and seasonal phytoplankton bloom evidence
• Analyze fossil abundance to infer temporary visitation based on the greater number of coprolites relative to skeletal fossils
• Investigate dietary and ecological niches based on coprolite contents and internal structures
• Model paleobiogeography and migratory routes based on occurrences of sturgeons and other Cretaceous taxa

Strengths

• Focuses on rare coprolite evidence for migration, a difficult-to-identify phenomenon in the fossil record
• Analysis is based on four converging lines of evidence from a specific geological formation
• Attributes at least 45 coprolites to sturgeons, a clade with extant migratory members

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Dataset is small at 65.0 KB, indicating limited scope

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Fossil analysis of coprolites from the Upper Cretaceous Kanguk Formation.

Time Range

Upper Cretaceous

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-29 11:07:27; freshness should be verified

Geography

Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada