Description
Spectacular Cambropallas trilobite pair, from Morocco. These specimens are approximately 8 1/2 inches long and 6 1/4 inches at their widest point.
Trilobites are prehistoric, bottom dwelling sea creatures that are related to the modern day horse-shoe crab. Trilobites had a hard, segmented exoskeleton which enabled them to roll up in much the same way our modern day roly-poly rolls up. There are about 20,000 species of trilobites that have been identified throughout the world. Trilobites are a diverse group of extinct arthropods, and one of the first living creatures to develop compound eyes. They first appeared in the Cambrian period around 540 million years ago.