Beautiful, 2.35" Asaphus Lepidurus Trilobite - Russia

Beautiful, Asaphus Lepidurus Trilobite - Russia #126140

This is a beautiful, 2.35" long (if outstretched) Asaphus lepidurus trilobite. It was collected from the Putilovo quarry in the St. Petersburg region of Russia. It's very 3D and the caramel colored shell contrasts nicely with the light colored limestone. Check out the preserved terrace lines on the shell.

Photo of the Putilovo quarry, near St. Petersburg Russia where this trilobite was found.

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.

More About Trilobites