9.5" Cluster Of Harpides & Asaphellus Trilobites - Fezouata Formation

Cluster Of Harpides & Asaphellus Trilobites - Fezouata Formation #206467

This is a 9.5 x 4.2" cluster of five trilobites from the Lower Fezouata Formation in Morocco. There is a 1.9" long Harpides cf grimmi whose tail is curled under along with four Asaphellus. The trilobites all have a red-orange preservation due to the oxidization of iron pyrite and have been prepared in high relief against the surrounding shale.

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