1.8" Uncommon Odontochile Trilobite - Lghaft, Morocco

Uncommon Odontochile Trilobite - Lghaft, Morocco #146768

This is a uncommon Odontochile trilobite from the “couche rouge” near Lghaft, Morocco. Most trilobites from Morocco frequently referred to as Odontochile are actually Zlichovaspis. Zlichovaspis has a longer longer medial terminal spine, and a more triangular shaped head and tail. The tail of the trilobite is bent downwards but the shell preservation and preparation is beautiful. Just check out the eye facet detail.

Trilobites were a very diverse group of extinct marine arthropods. They first appeared in the fossil record in the Early Cambrian (521 million years ago) and went extinct during the Permian mass extinction (250 million years ago). They were one of the most successful of the early animals on our planet: over 25,000 species have been described, filling nearly every evolutionary niche. Due in large part to their hard exoskeletons (shells), they left an excellent fossil record.

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