- 61
A TRIDENT-BEARING TRILOBITE
估價
3,000 - 5,000 USD
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招標截止
描述
- MOROCCO
Trilobite Walliserops trifurcatus, (size of fossil: 6 cm), Devonian (circa 408-393 million years ago). A beautifully prepared specimen, in a custom vitrine.
Condition
To request a condition report for this lot, please email science@sothebys.com
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
拍品資料及來源
Walliserops, (after Professor O. Walliser of the University of Göttingen) is a genus of spiny phacobid trilobites of the Acastidae family. Found in rocks from the Anti-Atlas mountains of Morocco dating to the Lower to Middle Devonian age, all species of Walliserops possess a "trident" protruding from the glabella, or head section. The role of this trident is not well understood — the size of this protuberance, and the amount of energy clearly expended to grow it would indicate that it clearly played an important role. While many theories have been advanced to explain its usage (protection, disguise, sensory apparatus), the most likely explanation is that the trident functioned like a horn, similar to that of modern day Coleoptera such as the Rhinoceros beetle.
Trilobites are a class of marine arachnomorph arthropods that inhabited the seas during the Paleozoic Era, from the Cambrian through the Permien period. They existed in oceans for over 300 million years, with last of them disappearing during the mass extinction at the end of the Permien period, 250 million years ago —making them one of the most successful species to ever live. With it's multitude of spines, in particular those arching over the eyes, this trilobite has the appearance of an alien creature, making it hard to imagine it imagine that they once inhabited our planet in multitudes.
Trilobites are a class of marine arachnomorph arthropods that inhabited the seas during the Paleozoic Era, from the Cambrian through the Permien period. They existed in oceans for over 300 million years, with last of them disappearing during the mass extinction at the end of the Permien period, 250 million years ago —making them one of the most successful species to ever live. With it's multitude of spines, in particular those arching over the eyes, this trilobite has the appearance of an alien creature, making it hard to imagine it imagine that they once inhabited our planet in multitudes.