Alien Looking Spiny Quadrops Trilobite - 3.15"

This is a spectacular specimen of one of my favorite species of trilobites, the very alien looking Quadrops flexuosa. This bizarre trilobite has a distinctive four-forked protrusion coming off of the front of it's head which is where the genus gets it's name. It is not only a rare trilobite but extremely hard and time consuming to prepare owing to the hardness of the rock and the it's many free standing spines.

This specimen has a backwards arch to it but would have been over 3" long if outstretched. The preparation is excellent with all of the spines prepared free standing, great shell detail and beautiful eye facets. It took on the order of 50 hours of preparation work under microscope to carefully remove the hard limestone surrounding it using air abrasives and air scribes. Only some minor restoration along repaired cracks and touchups a few airscribe dings from preparation, about 1-2% in total.

About Trilobites

Trilobites are an extinct class of marine arthropods that thrived for nearly 270 million years, from the early Cambrian to the end of the Permian period (around 521 to 252 million years ago). They are one of the most successful and diverse groups in the history of life, with over 25,000 described species spanning a wide range of sizes, shapes, and ecological niches. Known for their distinctive, segmented exoskeletons, trilobites provide invaluable insights into the evolutionary history of arthropods and the dynamics of ancient marine ecosystems.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Quadrops flexuosa
LOCATION
Ofaten, Morocco
FORMATION
El Otfal Formation
SIZE
About 3" if outstretched
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#86529
GUARANTEE
We guarantee the authenticity of all of our specimens.