Home Subjects Archives Quotations
Search: Search Tips

fossil vomit n. The mineralized vomitus of a dinosaur or other ancient animal. Also: fossilised vomit.

Example Citations:
Coprolites are a subset of the broader field of bromalites, which have equally embarrassing origins, Hunt added.

"There's also fossil vomit," he said. "I've coined those regurgitalites. And sometimes digested food stays in the intestines when an animal dies, and we call those cololites. Those two and coprolites make up the larger field of bromalites."
—Sue Forenberg, "Expert doesn't see work as waste," Albuquerque Journal, November 25, 2005

Having eaten dozens of belemnites, an ichthyosaur would regurgitate their indigestible bullet-shaped shells in much the same way that an owl does after eating a mouse whole, the scientists announced Tuesday. It is these shells that have been discovered in the fossil vomit.
—"Dino-Era Vomit Fossil Found in England," National Geographic News, February 12, 2002

Earliest Citation:
The world's oldest fossilised vomit has been uncovered near the English town of Peterborough.

But far from turning up their noses, palaeontologists are excited by the discovery of "copious quantities" of Jurassic puke, says Peter Doyle of the University of Greenwich. The regurgitations came from the mouths of ichthyosaurs swimming in the waters that covered England 160 million years ago and were found by Doyle in a clay quarry.

"We believe this is the first time the existence of fossil vomit on a grand scale has been proven beyond reasonable doubt," Doyle told New Scientist.
—Fred Pearce, "Oldest fossilised vomit pile uncovered," New Scientist, February 11, 2002

Notes:
Fossil vomit is also known as regurgitalites. Here is what it looks like:

Copyright New Scientist

Related Word:
poopology

Subject Category:
Science - General

Posted on November 28, 2005 at 9:55 AM
Updated on November 28, 2005 at 9:55 AM


 Recent posts:
  jingle mail
  tuxeda
  boreout
  scuppie
  allergy bullying
  IMBY
  agflation
  mullet strategy
  walkshed
  daughter track
 Alphabetical archives:
  A B C D E F G H I
  J K L M N O P Q R
  S T U V W X Y Z #
 Other links:
Top 100 Words

Recent Words

Recent Quotes

Word Spy, The Book

Word Spy Citations

Feedback

My Favorite Words

My Neologisms

Paul McFedries



Copyright © 1995 - 2008 Paul McFedries and Logophilia Limited