1.2" Onnia Trilobite - Long Occipital Spine

Onnia Trilobite - Long Occipital Spine #74701

This is a nice 1.2" specimen of Onnia superba collected near Blekos, Morocco. The distinctive, large cephalon covered in large pits can easily be seen. It's thought that this aided in filtering food out of the water, trapping microscopic food particles in the pits. The long occipital spine has been prepared free standing, and this specimen is nicer than most.

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 with over 25k currently described species, filling nearly every evolutionary niche. Due in large part to a hard exoskeleton (shell), they left an excellent fossil record.

More About Trilobites

SPECIES

Onnia superba

AGE

Ordovician

LOCATION

Blekos, Morocco

SIZE

1.2" long (including spines)

1.2" Onnia Trilobite - Long Occipital Spine

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