DEVONIAN TRILOBITE - 385 million years old - Morocco

385 million years old
(Middle Devonian period)

Jbel Issoumour, near Alnif, South-east Morocco

Trilobites are extinct marine animals and some of the oldest of all fossils.  They were active predators and dominated the oceans during the early Palaeozoic Era. 

This is a lovely specimen, prepared from the surrounding limestone rock in which it was entombed. It is notable for the fringing spines of the pygidium.

It has been broken and repaired before preparation, which is standard practice. Many of the Moroccan trilobites are only found by cracking the rock and looking at the cross section, then glued back together and prepared.

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