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MSA MEETING PROGRAM & PLACE
Franciscan Renewal Center, (Piper Hall),
November 20, 2025 @ 7.30 pm Arizona time
"Cuckoo for Cacca: Unlocking the Myths & Mysteries Surrounding Ancient Poop”
Presented by
NATHANAEL BRODHAGEN
Nathanael Brodhagen
Wendy Brodhagen photo.
COPROLITES
Nathanael Brodhagen photo.
Top:
Crocodilian Coprolite, 17 x 5.5 cm
Miocene
Beaufort Co., South Carolina, USA.
Nathanael Brodhagen photo.
Bottom Left:
Mammalian Coprolite, 8 x 3.5 cm
Oligocene
Brule Formation,
White River Badlands, South Dakota, USA.
Nathanael Brodhagen photo.
Bottom Right:
Shark or Ichthyosaur Coprolite, 8 x 3.5 cm
Jurassic
Lyme Regis,
Dorset, England, United Kingdom.
Nathanael Brodhagen photo.
NOVEMBER
Mineral of the Month:
COPROLITE or FAVORITE FOSSIL
(Okay to bring 1-2 examples)
Members are encouraged to bring suspected coprolites as well as specimens they believe are coprolites for examination.
* Please bring refreshments to share.
* MEETING will be (In-Person and Zoom).
Our November 20th program is “Cuckoo for Cacca: Unlocking the Myths & Mysteries Surrounding Ancient Poop” presented by MSA’s own Nathanael Brodhagen. Nathanael will be giving a truly unforgettable talk on fossilized feces, otherwise known as coprolite. He will relate the rich history of coprolite, explain how to accurately identify coprolite, address some of the misconceptions about these underappreciated fossils, delve into how they can tell us more about the past than any other fossil, and discuss the most amazing coprolite discoveries, the VIPs (Very Important Poops) in the coprolite world. After the talk the coprolite party won’t end, with the chance to take home your own coprolite and savor some pooptastic refreshments. This will be a one-of-a-kind fun-filled evening that you cannot miss!!
Nathanael Brodhagen is a young fossil collector and naturalist. His fossil collection, which he has been building for the past 7 years, concentrates mainly on dinosaur fossils, coprolites, and fossils that have been replaced by minerals (e.g. rhodochrosite, opal, pyrite, azurite, and malachite). For the last couple of years, he has focused on assembling an extensive coprolite collection, in an effort to learn more about these unique and fascinating trace fossils. His collection contains over 100 specimens of coprolite from all over the world.
Nathanael has won the National Fossil trophy from the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies Convention in 2024 for his dinosaur fossil exhibit, as well as Best Junior, Best Junior Master, and Best Novice trophies in 2023, 2024, and 2025 at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show and first place for his category at The 4th Phoenix Heritage Mineral Show in 2024. He is an active MSA volunteer at both the Flagg Gem & Mineral Show and the Phoenix Heritage Mineral Show. He was voted Junior Rockhound of the Year by members of Mineralogical Society of Arizona and awarded American Federation of Mineralogical Societies Junior Rockhound of the Year in 2023. In February 2026, Nathanael will be entering a competitive educational exhibit featuring coprolites at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.
Nathanael is also an avid birdwatcher and nature enthusiast. His favorite birds are members of the family Trogonidae, in particular the Elegant Trogon, the only species of trogon in the U.S. that’s range reaches just into southern Arizona. Over the past year Nathanael has extensively researched the Elegant Trogon and has had the privilege of 28 sightings of this elusive bird in the Arizona Sky Islands. He would eventually like to write a comprehensive volume on the Elegant Trogon following his continued research. His ambition is to become a professional birding guide in Ecuador, a country which boasts 16 trogon species.
Nathanael is also a wildlife photographer, mainly photographing birds but also any other wildlife he encounters on his adventures. One of his photos of a bee got an honorable mention in the 2025 Arizona Highways Student Photo Contest earlier this year.
In the evening, when he’s not collecting coprolites, birding or photographing the elegant trogon, Nathanael’s hobby is astrophotography. He enjoys stargazing in dark-sky areas throughout Arizona, and photographing nebulae, meteor showers, and in 2024, the aurora borealis.
Mark your calendars for this extraordinary debut program, millions of years in the making, created especially for MSA!
Thank you, NATHANAEL, for sharing your passion and knowledge about coprolites and fossils with Mineralogical Society of Arizona and educating us on the myths and mysteries surrounding ancient poop.
Meeting starts at 7.30PM Arizona time.