Ancient Seas, Morocco, Mid Devonian period, ca. 387 million years ago. A fabulous trilobite fossil encased in a stone matrix. The trilobite is well preserved and retains much of the spikey pustules on the exoskeleton which help identify the species as "Drotops megalomanicus." Note the amazing texture of the eye facets! Trilobites, meaning three lobed, have three major sections from which their name is derived; the cephalon that contains the sensory organs such as eyes and antennae, the thorax with the articulating plates, and the pygidium, or tail area. The exoskeleton displayed here demonstrates each of these sections and is well preserved! Size: 6.5" L x 4.5" W x 2" H (16.5 cm x 11.4 cm x 5.1 cm)

Trilobites are a fossil group of extinct marine creatures that form one of the earliest known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the Atdabanian stage of the Early Cambrian period (521 million years ago), and they flourished throughout the lower Paleozoic era before beginning a drawn-out decline and then mass extinction at the end of the Permian about 252 million years ago. They were among the most successful of all early animals, roaming the oceans for over 270 million years!

Provenance: ex-Stein collection, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA, acquired prior to 2010

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#163955

Restoration to stone matrix base with added stone to balance the base. Natural cracks from fossilization process on trilobite. Chips and nicks to high-pointed areas. Great preservation of texture.