Hollardops & Diademaproetus Trilobite Association - Ofaten, Morocco

This is a natural association of two different types of trilobites quarried near Ofaten, Morocco. The larger specimen is 1.75" long and is of the species Hollardops mesocristata and the smaller one is a partially enrolled Diademaproetus. The surrounding limestone has been nicely sculpted to create an aesthetic, free-standing display. There is about 3-4% shell restoration along repair cracks.

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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