Pair of Crotalocephalina Trilobite Fossils - Atchana, Morocco

This is an impressive cluster of two colorful Crotalocephalina trilobite fossils, collected from the Lhandar Formation near Atchana, Morocco. It is a natural association with the specimens in close association. The smallest trilobite outstretched would measure about 2" long and the arched trilobite would be about 3.2" long if it were outstretched. They have been nicely prepared using air-abrasives, creating this aesthetic display.

Each trilobite has approximately 1-2% restoration along repaired cracks, with a portion of the anterior border missing from the head of the largest trilobite.

Trilobites were a very diverse group of extinct marine arthropods. They first appeared in the fossil record in the Early Cambrian (521 million years ago) and went extinct during the Permian mass extinction (250 million years ago). They were one of the most successful of the early animals on our planet: over 25,000 species have been described, filling nearly every evolutionary niche. Due in large part to their hard exoskeletons (shells), they left an excellent fossil record.

More About Trilobites