Rare Antiquities & Ancient Artifacts

Description

Trilobite – Dicranurus Montrosis, measuring 60mm (2-3/8″) on a 110 x 90mm matrix. Morocco, Devonian period, 395-360 million years old.

Here is one of the more sought after trilobites of the Order Lichida, Family Odontopleuridae known as Dicranurus monstrosus.

Trilobites are an extinct group of marine arthropods that thrived during the Paleozoic Era, roughly 521 to 252 million years ago. Characterized by their three-part body structure—consisting of a cephalon (head), thorax (middle section), and pygidium (tail)—trilobites exhibited a remarkable diversity of shapes and sizes, with over 20,000 species identified. These creatures were among the earliest known complex life forms, evolving during the Cambrian period and becoming widespread in various marine environments. Trilobites played a crucial role in the ecosystem as both predators and prey, and their fossilized remains provide valuable insights into early life on Earth and the conditions of ancient oceans. They began to decline during the late Devonian period and ultimately went extinct in the Permian-Triassic extinction event, leaving a rich fossil record that continues to fascinate paleontologists today.