Bargain, 2.5" Morocconites Trilobite - Ofaten, Morocco

Here is a 2.5" long (if outstretched) specimen of one of the more unusual species of trilobites. It is Morocconites malladoides quarried from the deposits near Ofaten, Morocco. This member of the Phacopida trilobites and has a very defining feature, a long pointed rostrum (snout) coming off of it's head. It's unclear what purpose this rostrum would have served, but it could have potentially been used to help it dig through the mud.

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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DETAILS
SPECIES
Morocconites malladoides
LOCATION
Ofaten, Morocco
FORMATION
Tazoulait Formation
SIZE
2.5" long
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#138093
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