This ULTRA-RARE, INVESTMENT FOSSIL spiny Asaphid trilobite is the first of its kind we have ever encountered!  For any collector who is building a world-class collection of RARE trilobites, this is a MUST HAVE specimen for their collection.  Never before have we encountered an asaphid variant trilobite like this with spine-tipped pleural lobes in this manner.  This is a new, undescribed species and a spectacular example with the finest preservationThis monster Asaphid trilobite possesses pointed spiny pleural spines but there are four longer than typical spines on each tip of its first and last segments.  Photos above show this strange anatomy.  In addition, you could not have asked for a better example of preservation or more impressive articulation as this rare oddity.  The trilobite was found in a very large watermelon-size concretion.  It was prepared with extraordinary care to reveal two perfectly preserved eyes, all original body portions and a heavily-calcified carapace that fossilized with a spiderweb pattern of healed fissures creating a surreal beauty to the original, intact shell of the trilobite.  The beautiful color of the trilobite is natural, as well.  In keeping with our tradition of bringing to you some of the most impressive and rare exhibition-grade specimens, this extraordinary investment in natural history must be really seen to appreciate.  For some reason, the photos cannot convey the full inflation and three-dimensionality of the specimen.  The surface appears rougher than it is in reality.  Whoever takes delivery of this once-in-a-lifetime find will be truly and positively surprised with its presence in person! 

There are many Moroccan trilobites that have surfaced over the last couple of decades that have been unusual.  Some have been authentic but many have been entirely fake creations of imagination or artificial modified examples of ordinary trilobites.  Having prepared this prize specimen ourselves, we can attest to its originality and authenticity.  The close-up images demonstrate this for those familiar with the difference in real versus artificial anatomy. 

This trilobite is a scientifically undescribed species belonging to the Asaphidae family.  Asaphid trilobites do not normally possess such anatomy.  This specimen was found in Ordovician rock from the Anti-Atlas mountains in southern Morocco along the Northern Sahara. 

The entire host rock concretion is 100% original with no additional parts added and only cracks repaired.  To protect the integrity of the fragile rock and to stabilize exfoliating concretion layers which could break off when set on a stand, the back side of the rock has been sealed with a chemical consolidant.  What you see front and back is 100% original host rock matrix found with the trilobite embedded within.

Without question, this is the most beautiful, most unusual and the most RARE of all the large trilobites we ever handled or saw in numerous years of experience concentrated in trilobites from the northern Sahara.   

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Trilobites are hard-shelled, segmented creatures that lived hundreds of millions of years ago in the Earth's ancient seas.  They are considered to be one of our planet's earliest complex life-forms and are one of the key signature creatures of the Paleozoic Era.  Trilobites went extinct before dinosaurs even existed. 

Next to dinosaur fossils, trilobites command a dedicated and passionate following amongst both scientists and fossil collectors, alike.  In a relatively short time-frame (scientifically speaking, of course), we have the emergence and subsequent extinction of these fascinating creatures.  Still most baffling is the incredible diversity of sizes and features that made up the trilobite group.  Many bizarre species co-existed with highly specialized body parts that defy the theories of evolution in their "sudden" emergence and diversity during the Early Cambrian Period in what is known as the 'Cambrian Explosion'.  

Trilobites were among the world's first arthropods, a phylum of hard-shelled creatures with multiple body segments and jointed legs (although the legs, antennae and other finer structures of trilobites only very rarely are  preserved).  They constitute an extinct class of arthropods, Trilobita, that is comprised of over 15,000 known species.

It has been reported that every year, four to five new species are discovered in the Atlas and Anti-Atlas Mountain regions in Morocco, alone!   This desolate northern fringe of the Sahara Desert was once covered by a prehistoric ocean and its fossil deposits can be considered the world's richest and most diverse source of these ancient sea creatures.

Trilobites are the single most diverse group of extinct organisms that ever existed, period!  The smallest known trilobite is just three millimeters long, while the largest type grew to a length of 70 centimeters (over two feet long!).  The most common fossil of trilobites is the mineralized dorsal exoskeleton of the creature.  This is found in partial form from molting (shedding the shell as it grows) or in complete form when the animal was buried and died intact.  The soft parts of the underside are rarely preserved.  The name 'TRILOBITE' means 'three lobed" and is derived from the fact these animals had bodies featuring three longitudinal lobes, not lateral (head, body, tail) as is often thought.  The lateral division of three parts is shared by many arthropods, not just trilobites.

Considerable study has been done on trilobites as a whole organism.  Even more fascinating though, is the research done on a microscopic level with regards to trilobite morphology.    Radiographs have captured incredible detail of complete and fully articulated antennae and underparts like legs and gills, preserved in the host rock of some fossilized specimens.  Perhaps the most impressive and classic feature of trilobites that comes to mind is the eyes.  Microscopic studies of trilobite eye structures have also revealed marvelous adaptation and very high degrees of specialization in vision.  

It seems that the more we learn about trilobites, the unfolding of their mystery is stranger than fiction.  Certainly we gain a greater appreciation with each new discovery of these strange and highly advanced but now extinct 'butterflies of the ancient seas'.