‘Curiosity’ fuels world’s most prolific fossilized poop collector

Insights into “the diets, behaviors and environment of ancient creatures” that are available in their fossilized droppings motivated one US man to not only amass the world’s largest collection of such specimens – but also to quit his corporate career and open a so-called Poozeum, as he recounts in a new interview.

In remarks published on Friday, George Frandsen – who has held the Guinness World Records mark for largest collection of coprolites since 2015 – recounted how the journey to his unique place on the global stage began when he visited a rock and fossil shop in Utah when he was 18.

The establishment attracted him because he had harbored a passion for dinosaurs and fossils since his childhood. There he encountered a coprolite, the technical term for a piece of fossilized feces, which he described as “both hilarious and fascinating”.

“This sparked my curiosity, leading me to learn everything I could about coprolites,” the 45-year-old Frandsen said to the Guinness World Records website. “I soon realized that these peculiar prehistoric ‘time capsules’ offer direct insights into the diets, behaviors and environments of ancient creatures.

“This realization fueled my desire to acquire more coprolites, whether by finding them myself or purchasing them, in order to further explore and expand my understanding of prehistoric life.”

That summary of events is arguably an understatement. By 2015, he had amassed nearly 1,300 such pieces, according to the organization known for curating a database of more than 40,000 world records. He brought his collection to the South Florida Museum in the Tampa suburb of Bradenton, where Guinness verified it as the largest of its kind in the world.

But that was only the last time the number of pieces in his collection had been officially counted. Since then, as Guinness noted, Frandsen said he has added “a whopping (or plopping) 8,000 pieces”.

“I was able to network with people who offered to give, sell and even trade coprolites to me from all over the world” after 2015, said Frandsen, who also owns the world’s largest coprolite from a carnivore, a specimen named Barnum which is 2ft 2.5in (67.5cm) long.

At some point, Frandsen said, he noticed “a glaring absence of coprolite representation in mainstream sources and museum exhibits”. So he created a traveling exhibition, which he has let museums across the US borrow.

He told Guinness that those museums’ visitors generally responded to the exhibit with enthusiasm, highlighting for him “the demand for a dedicated space where coprolites could be prominently showcased and their scientific significance thoroughly explored”.

Frandsen finally resigned from the healthcare company executive job that he had worked for 14 years, sold his house in Florida and moved 2,000 miles to Williams, Arizona.

There, on 18 May, a ways south of the Grand Canyon, he opened the doors of his Poozeum, which he bills as “the world’s premier dinosaur poop museum and gift shop”.

Frandsen’s Poozeum is unrelated to the Pooseum in Tasmania. In 2021, the Tasmanian Pooseum – which dedicates itself to educating the public about the practical uses of animal dung in the wild and in civilization – made news headlines for winning a years-long legal fight with local authorities over its right to display a sign depicting a penguin defecating in projectile fashion.

The Arizona Poozeum’s founder said his institution – which “kids especially love” – aims to provide tourists worldwide “a distinctive, memorable and enjoyable experience during their vacation”, despite how gross it all may first sound.

“Initially, many people react with a ‘yuck’ face or laughter when they first hear about the Poozeum,” Frandsen said to Guinness. “However, after witnessing the collection, their reactions often shift to shock at the diverse and intriguing nature of coprolites.

“Given that most people have little to no experience with coprolites, it’s enjoyable to introduce them to this fascinating world and share the wonders they hold.”