Abstract:
Over the past decade, concerted efforts to find and study Late Quaternary terrestrial vertebrate coprolites in New Zealand have revealed new insights into the diets and ecologies of New Zealand's prehistoric birds. Here, we provide a broader review of the coprolites found in natural (non-archaeological) Late Quaternary deposits from New Zealand. We summarise the morphological diversity of the coprolites, and discuss the taphonomy of the sites in which they are found. Since the 1870s more than 2000 coprolites have been discovered from 30 localities, all restricted to the South Island. The distribution of coprolite localities appears to reflect the presence of geological and climatic factors that enhance the potential for coprolite preservation; coprolites require dry conditions for preservation, and have been found on the ground surface within drafting cave entrances and at shallow (<300 mm) depths beneath rock overhangs with a northerly aspect. We classify the coprolites into eleven morphotypes, each of which may represent a range of different bird and/or reptile species. A review of genetically identified specimens shows that coprolites of different bird species overlap in size and morphology, reinforcing the need for identifications to be based on ancient DNA analysis.