A LARGE TRILOBITE

A LARGE TRILOBITE

Selenopectis buchii

Paleozoic, Upper Ordovician

Ktaoua Formation, Birdj, Tafilalt Region, Morocco

26 cm, in matrix, displayed on a custom stand. A very fine specimen, with no restorations; the exoskeleton is very well preserved and the lateral spines are very visible.

Trilobites are a class of marine arachnomorph arthropods that inhabited the seas during the Paleozoic Era, from the Cambrian through the Permien period. They existed in oceans for over 300 million years, with last of them disappearing during the mass extinction at the end of the Permien period, 250 million years ago —making them one of the most successful species to ever live. With it's multitude of spines, in particular those arching over the eyes, this trilobite has the appearance of an alien creature, making it hard to imagine that they once inhabited our planet in multitudes.