Trace Fossils
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Glasgow Museums has a collection of approximately 100 trace fossils. This collection comprises trace fossils that are mostly from Scotland. Around half of these are from the Carboniferous, with the remainder dating from a wide range of geological periods, including the Cambrian, Silurian, Devonian, Jurassic and Quaternary. The Scottish Carboniferous trace fossils include coprolites and invertebrate animal burrows, such as the ‘u’ shaped burrow, (Corophioides) from Ayrshire that was first described by John Smith. Among non-Scottish material there are some interesting specimens, including a large slab with the trackways of a Triassic reptile, (Chirotherium) from Cheshire. Trace fossils are the preserved remains of past animal activity, such as footprints, trackways, feeding trails, burrows, nests and coprolites (fossil faeces).
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