2.8" Translucent Morocops Trilobite - Rock Removed From Under Shell

This is a stunningly prepared Morocops trilobite fossil. Nearly all of the limestone has been removed from not only on top of, but also underneath the shell. Preparing it like this takes MANY hours of labor, hence the much higher price on specimens prepared like this.

It has been left "flying" above a base of limestone on a thin pedestal of rock. If you backlight it the calcite replaced shell is even translucent. Incredible eye facet detail on this piece too. There is about 2% shell restoration, primarily on the front of its head.

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.
SOLD
DETAILS
SPECIES
Morocops (Barrandeops)
LOCATION
Ofaten, Morocco
SIZE
2.8" long
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#222347
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