2.8" Zlichovaspis Trilobite With Healed Injury - Great Eyes

Zlichovaspis Trilobite With Healed Injury - Great Eyes #86755

This is a nicely prepared specimen of Zlichovaspis spinifera quarried near Lghaft, Morocco. The shell of these species is covered in small bumps, hence the species name. Beautiful preparation on this piece.

There are two interesting features about this particular specimen. First the left genal spine or what is left of it shows signs of a healed injury, possibly bitten off by a predator. Secondly the little triangle shaped rostrum on the front of it's head is much more pronounced than I've seen in other specimens of this species.

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.

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