"Flying" Ceratonurus Trilobite - Foum Zguid

This is one of the more unusual of the spiny trilobites from Morocco, Ceratonurus. It has been prepared so that it "flies" above the matrix on a pedestal of rock. This style of preparation adds dozens of hours to the process, and requires a preparator with a huge amount of skill and a very steady hand. Notice how not only the long genal and pleural spines are prepared free of matrix, but also the tiny fringes on the front of it's head which are very distinctive of Ceratonurus

It was quarried from Foum Zguid and is pretty good sized at over 2" long and nearly 3" wide. This species is similar to the Ceratonurus found in Oklahoma but grows substantially larger.