Dinosaur dung makes a splash

The skull of a Tyrannosaurus rex may have brought in more money ... $215,000, to be precise. But the items that attracted the most attention today at I.M. Chait Gallery/Auctioneers' annual natural history auction in New York were of humbler origin: lumps of fossilized dinosaur poop, also known as coprolites, which sold for $1,200. Coprolites are nothing like your garden-variety droppings. Scientists find them interesting because their composition can hint at the diets of prehistoric creatures (including humans), while collectors find them interesting partly because of the "eww" factor. (Last year, a Swiss watchmaker unveiled a $11,290 timepiece made from coprolite.) Watch this video from msnbc.com's Todd Kenreck for more about coprolite commerce.