Location: Oufaten, Morocco

Weight: 2.8 Ounces 

Dimensions: 2.8 Inches Long, 2.3 Inches Wide, 1.1 Inches Thick (Matrix)

Trilobite Dimensions are: 1.3 Inches Long, 1 Inch Wide, 0.3 Inches Thick

Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

This is a genuine fossil.

The item pictured is the one you will receive.

Cyphaspis Otarion Spiny

Trilobites are a fossil group of extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the Atdabanian stage of the Early Cambrian period (521 million years ago). They were hard-shelled, segmented creatures that lived in Earth's ancient seas. They are considered to be one of our planet's earliest complex life-forms, and are one of the key signature creatures of the Paleozoic Era. Trilobites went extinct before dinosaurs ever existed.

Trilobites were the first creatures with a skeleton (Exoskeleton) so they were easily fossilized. Their shell is divided lengthwise into three lobes (hence, the name TRILOBITE meaning "three-lobed"): a central axial lobe, and two symmetrical pleural lobes that flank the axis.

Morphologically, the trilobite body is divided into three major sections:

1.  a cephalon (or head) with eyes, mouth parts, and sensory organs such as antennae.

2.  a middle region called the thorax with a number of overlapping segments (anywhere from 2 to 61).

3.  a pygidium (or tail section) in which the segments were fused.

Please be aware of the nature of fossils:

Being buried under the ground for millions of years under tons of pressure tends to be rough. No fossil comes out of the ground whole and perfect. Most fossils have undergone some restoration, while others are altered by man simply to enhance their presentation in different ways. The workers in Morocco do a very professional job, of unearthing and preserving these natural treasures, however, commonly natural cracks are visible on the surface. These are part of the natural beauty of the fossil and are not considered defects.