.9" Kettneraspis Trilobite - Black Cat Mountain

This is a exquisitely detailed specimen of the trilobite Kettneraspis williamsi from the famous Black Cat Mountain locality in Oklahoma. It was masterfully prepared by Bob Carroll. It's caramel colored shell and elegant spines contrast well against the creme colored matrix. The eye stalks and small occipital spine are preserved, features often missing in lesser quality specimens.

There is a spine of another odontoplurid trilobite laying over the left hand side of the specimen.

The Black Cat Mountain Quarry produces a limited number of arguably the most beautiful trilobites in the United States each year. Each specimen is meticulously prepared by quarry owner Bob Carroll under microscope to expose the smallest details. This is a very time consuming process, taking many hours, but yields spectacular results.

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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DETAILS
SPECIES
Kettneraspis williamsi
LOCATION
Black Cat Mountain, Clarita, Oklahoma
FORMATION
Haragan Formation
SIZE
.9" long (including spines), 2.8x2.8" limestone
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#104114
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