1.6" Rare, Spiny Ceratonurus Trilobite - Black Cat Mountain

This is a large example of one of the most sought after and rare trilobites to come out of the Haragan Formation of Oklahoma. These delicately spined Odontopleurids are considerably more rare the even the Dicranurus from this formation.

This specimen is fairly large for the species at 1.6" long and has elegantly flowing spines with the "horns" prepared free standing. It's light, caramel colored shell contrasts well with the limestone matrix that it is centered on.

The Black Cat Mountain Quarry produces a limited number of arguably the most beautiful trilobites in the United States each year. Each specimen is meticulously prepared by quarry owner Bob Carroll under microscope to expose the smallest details. This is a very time consuming process, taking many hours, but yields spectacular results.

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
Ceratonurus sp.
LOCATION
Clarita, Oklahoma
FORMATION
Haragan Formation
SIZE
1.6" long (including spines).
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#170264
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