Original piece from Morocco.
The trilobites1 (Trilobita, from the Latin, “three lobes”) are a class of extinct arthropods, within the subphylum Trilobitomorpha. They are the most characteristic fossils of the Paleozoic Era (Primary Era). Almost 4,000 species have been described.2
They appeared in the Cambrian period (at the beginning of the Paleozoic, about 540 million years ago), and began to diversify already in the Lower Cambrian. After the mass extinction at the end of the Cambrian, only the forms that inhabited deep-sea, pelagic environments survived. During the Ordovician they reached their maximum diversity and occupied almost all marine ecological niches. From the Silurian they presented few changes, until in the Middle and Upper Devonian crises they suffered a significant reduction, extinguishing all orders except Proetida. During the Carboniferous the representatives of the group are scarce and restricted to reef environments. The last trilobites, now only inhabitants of shallow waters, disappeared during the crisis of the Permo-Triassic limit (about 250 million years ago). Therefore, its presence on Earth lasted throughout the Paleozoic, more than 300 million years. Trilobites are so abundant and have been so thoroughly studied that they are probably the best-known group of fossil animals.
Measures aprox:5 x 4 cm pedestal included.
