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PARADOXIDES NATURAL DOUBLE TRILOBITE BED Anti-Atlas Region, Morocco CAMBRIAN PERIOD: 543 - 510 million years ago The giant Paradoxides trilobite is the largest Cambrian trilobite that is found in sedimentary rock beds from this period. They must made quite an intimidating appearance based on their size and design as they roamed the bottom of the ocean floor over a half a billion years ago. These kind of trilobite fossils often fracture when rock is split to locate them. This unavoidable damaging method often leaves missing pieces and highly fragmented specimens so repair and restoration is usually the norm. Because of its impressive size and appearance, The Paradoxides trilobite is very popular with collectors but the great majority of examples are either faked or heavily restored such that there is less than 20% of the real creature present. This specimen is a true rarity as it is a NATURAL DOUBLE, displaying two Paradoxides trilobites, side by side, partially overlapping and at different layers. The larger specimen below is with 100% GENUINE and rivals the finest type in any museum or private collection. The smaller one is above this larger trilobite and rock has been removed to show both and a portion left to show the divide at different levels in the slab. There is some restoration to the cephalon and middle of the genal spine of the smaller creature but the tip of the genal spine is completely authentic and this restoration does not detract it as considerable evidence in the rock is present to provide proof of the genuineness of the animal. THIS SPECIMEN IS MUCH BETTER THAN APPEARS IN THE PHOTOS! This is the only side by side double we acquired from a find years ago. It is not only a fantastic and very large display fossil but is very educational and of the highest grade with much of the limestone around the animals un-chiseled and left to show VERY RARE NATURAL IMPRESSIONS of the pygidium and pleural spines even down to their most extreme tips. All this is visible in the rock and shown in the last close-up images above. Many of these features are almost never present regardless of how good a Paradoxides fossil is. This is a very well-suited example for a public display of an educational facility or museum along with a first rate private collection. Examples like this are VERY seldom available for sale. The last image and fourth to the last is of the region where the two trilobites meet. This solid area of limestone is obvious proof that these are not two artificially joined trilobites as nearly every multiple specimen sold usually is. The close-up images of the detail of both specimens shows the beautiful and seldom seen state of preservation that dominates the fossil. A thin clear preservative has been applied over each creature to protect there rare natural features.
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'. EXCEEDINGLY RARE IN THIS FORM AND A NATURAL DOUBLE - MUSEUM GRADE SPECIMEN FOR THE FINEST COLLECTIONS! 18.25" x 18.25" with original matrix, animals 14" and 11.25" in length $1895 TR128 INCLUDES STAND Actual Item - One Only |
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