Trilobites

INVESTMENT GRADE RARE COLORED KONEPRUSIA TRILOBITE WITH FREE-STANDING SPINES

Hamar Laghdad Formation - Erfoud, Morocco

DEVONIAN PERIOD: 395 - 345 million years ago

Amongst all the spiny trilobites, the Koneprusia trilobite looks like it was a living thorn bush. Its pleural spines even had spines on spines! This eerie creature certainly must have been a site to behold slowly inching its way across the ocean floor hundreds of millions of years ago. This stunning example comes from the Devonian limestone of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

Never before have we seen a more beautifully and perfectly preserved Koneprusia trilobite as this supreme grade example. Specimens like these come along on very rare occasions and the sum of all the spectacular features of this example is what truly puts it into an investment class. This is a large Koneprusia of the finest complete preservation with ALL GENUINE SPINES. The detail and quality of its painstaking preparation is the pinnacle of its kind. What makes this an ESPECIALLY desirable example is the NATURAL color of a dark olive black hue running down the length of one side with a dominating olive green hue existing on the other half. This coloration is naturally occurring and was a result of the mineralization process as this trilobite became fossilized. This color feature actually provides visual evidence of the authenticity and originality of the spines to this trilobite as the spines match exactly in color to the body and minute extremities which would be otherwise impossible to duplicate. The most common colors of trilobite fossils from this region and period are black or a dark olive black but the rare, bizarre occurrence of this coloration is the "piece de resistance" putting this Koneprusia into a once-in-a-lifetime ballpark for the serious collector. If you are demanding only the finest, 'non-fabricated' spiny trilobite specimens in your collection then you should seriously consider this magnificent specimen. This spectacular Koneprusia trilobite with all its spines is 100% genuine. The ORIGINAL spines from this creature have been painstakingly freed from all the limestone matrix to display this bizarre creature as it was when alive. The carapace is wonderfully preserved and is complete with original pustulose detail. The limestone is a natural butter yellow hue and has been carefully prepared to a stunning smooth surface with the trilobite raised up off the rock.

Using the finest modern micro-abrasive equipment and countless hours of 'nerves of steel' skill, each spine is original and natural, unlike the vast majority of spiny trilobites where the spines are fabricated from glue and resin. This example is a top choice and represents the finest Koneprusia trilobite with GENUINE SPINES freed from their matrix.

WARNING: There are several different grades of spiny trilobites on the market now with seemingly identical and very convincing appearances. Fakers have mastered producing 100% complete replicas of trilobites with free-standing spines. There are also classes of trilobites offered from the source that have varying degrees of fabrication such as a genuine trilobite but with all spines being fabricated. Prices generally will reflect the quality as the source preparators and sellers know the global prices and charge accordingly for the different degrees of authenticity of their specimens. Nevertheless, price should not be your only guide. Often, features such as thicker than normal spines and a dull, almost chalky appearance without any natural satin luster to the creature are some obvious signs of fakes. Know how to tell a genuine from a fake by reading this and rely ONLY on established professional sellers who have active experience in fossil preparation and will offer you an unconditional LIFETIME guarantee IN WRITING of the authenticity of the specimen.

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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'.

AMAZING RARE PRIZED DUAL COLORATION - THE FINEST INVESTMENT GRADE OF THIS SPECIES ONE COULD OWN!

3.25" x 2" with original matrix, trilobite 1.85" long