Amazing Trident Walliserops Trilobite - 3.1"

This is one of the weirdest, and most visually stunning species of trilobite, Walliserops trifurcatus. There is some debate about the purpose of the trident shaped appendage or rostrum coming off the front of it's head but it's likely it could have either had sensory purposes or have been used to stir up the mud while looking for food.

Unlike many on the market the trident and the free standing spines are real. They were painstakingly prepared free of the solid limestone using air abrasives under microscope and a lot of patience. This piece took 40-50 hours of manual labor to prepare. Just check out the detailed eye facets on this specimen.

The trilobite would be about 3.1" long if outstretched which is about average size for the species. It has wonderful shell detail and the tail spines are free of matrix. There is about 2% shell restoration on the specimen, mostly on the right side of the head and upper thorax.