2.2" Morocconites Trilobite Fossil - Rock Removed Under Shell

Morocconites Trilobite Fossil - Rock Removed Under Shell #209714

This is a uniquely prepared phacopid (Morocconites malladoides) trilobite from Ofaten, Morocco. Not only has all of the rock been removed from the dorsal side of the trilobite but nearly all of the rock has been removed to underneath the shell also. This allows for the shell to appear translucent when backlit.

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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