Bechan Cave In Utah Has World’s Largest Deposit Of Mammoth Dung

A rarely visited cave in Utah is the home to the largest deposit of this found anywhere on earth. It is coprolite which is fossilized dung. That doesn't sound that impressive until you find out most of the feces is from ancient mammoths.

Nature's Time Capsule: The Fascinating World of Coprolite

It isn't just mammoths that made deposits in this cave. There were big ground sloths, equines that were early horse like animals, and even something called an even toed ungulate which are animals which walk on two of their five toes. Modern examples are pigs, deer, and giraffes.

I don't know why this cave was a popular place for these animals to do their business. Maybe it was a rest stop on a busy animal highway. More likely, it was a good place to find shelter for a time in that long-ago environment.

Its name is Bechan Cave and it is located in Bowns Canyon which is a tributary to the Colorado River in the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area where Lake Powell is. It isn't hard to get to though it is rarely visited.

Bechan Cave is located in the Glen Canyon Recreational AreaGoogle

Dated Discoveries: Ancient Secrets Uncovered

The researchers who dated some of the teeth and animal remains they found among the dung dated those pieces to around 10,000 years ago. For over a 1000 years all kinds of animal made a pit stop in this cave.

Even though it wasn't researched until 1984, the Navajo people were well aware of the cave and what was stacked up inside. That is where the name Bechan comes from. It is a Navajo word meaning "big dung."

Read More: Lands Losing Monument Status in Utah are Still Protected

Now you know the straight poop about this world record fossil deposit found in Kane County. If you ever get the desire to see giant fossilized mammoth droppings, a trip to Bechan Cave is a must.