Trilobite Fossils — Cambrian Species
Middle Cambrian (approx. 502 million years ago), Anti-Atlas Mountain Range, Alnif, Morocco
Session begins in
July 14, 02:00 PM GMT
Estimate
5,000 - 8,000 USD
Bid
4,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Trilobite Fossils — Cambrian Species
Cambropallas telesto
Middle Cambrian (approx. 502 million years ago)
Anti-Atlas Mountain Range, Alnif, Morocco
Plate measures 30¼ x 21¼ x 2 inches (76.8 x 54 x 5.1 cm), 35⅝ x 26¼ x 3⅛ inches (90.5 x 66.7 x 7.9 cm) in frame. 80 pounds (39.3 kg).
A collection of nine individual specimens preserved on an ovoid-shaped matrix slab. The dorsal surfaces of these hard-shelled exoskeletons are preserved articulated and exposed, together in an aesthetic swirl-like display. The specimens are partially covered due to overlapping. The surfaces are nicely prepared and finished with external body structures kept intact.
Cambropallas telesto is a large trilobite species known only from the Middle Cambrian of Morocco. Morphologically, Cambropallas is a good example of the basic body design of trilobites. Trilobites are so named for the three lobes: right pleural lobe, axial lobe; and left pleural lobe. These lobes divide the head (cephalon), body (thorax), and tail (pygidium) longitudinally.
Trilobites are one of the oldest invertebrate species, appearing more than 500 million years ago during the Cambrian period and disappearing during the mass extinction at the end of the Permian, approximately 250 million years ago. Perhaps the most famous fossils other than the dinosaurs, more than 17,000 species of trilobite have been discovered all over the world. As marine arthropods, they are the extinct relatives of crustaceans, insects, arachnids, and centipedes. Trilobites are the earliest creatures known to have developed eyes for sight. Their name derives from the Greek for "three-lobed," and they would have used their plated armor to roll up into a ball to protect their more vulnerable undersides. This strategy served them well as they survived for almost 300 million years, making them one of the most successful species ever to live on Earth.
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