It is a biological time capsule.

When biological waste desiccates rapidly and is subsequently buried in dry, stable sediment, it can preserve an extraordinary range of information about the organism that produced it and about the environment in which that organism was living.

Food remains are among the most commonly preserved contents of coprolites.

The hard parts of plant foods — seed coats, pollen grains, plant phytoliths — survive desiccation far better than soft tissue, and their presence in a coprolite can identify specific plant foods consumed by the producer.

The bones and scales of fish, the hair of mammals, and the hard parts of invertebrates can also survive in coprolites and identify dietary items.