It's amazing to me how much is known about the trilobites. Even just reading the Wikipedia summary is a lengthy endeavor. The one above is an example of the truly remarkable ones that have been recovered in Morocco (awesome specimens at this gallery). And assuming this one is real (there are lots of fake fossils), imagine the hours that were spent with dental tools to free it from the matrix.
More information at the New York Times.
Embedded image cropped (without change of content) from the original, credited to Chip Clark/Smithsonian.
I wouldn't want to meet that creature in a dark alley.
ReplyDeleteBetter yet, that fossil isn't even complete-- this species, Walliserops, had a trident on front!
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walliserops
Also, I like how the article compares the trilobite body to a hashtag; unexpected, but actually visually quite similar.
Tx for the link, Emily. If in my next incarnation I return as a nonhuman critter, I would love to have a trident on my head. How cool is that.
DeleteIn the state of Hessen, (West) Germany, the TV station used a walrus with an antenna stuck on its head as a mascot. A compilation of quick animated shorts featuring this character is here:
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57GyK8fMHa0
Except for missing the third prong, it does remind me sort of, of a trident.
http://www.fossilmuseum.net/collect/faketrilobites3.htm
ReplyDeleteExcellent article. And blogworthy. Thanks, MuddyValley.
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