Lot 669
Pair of Spiny Trilobites From Morocco. This rare pair of 400 million year old spiny trilolobites comes from the famous Hamar Laghdad Formation near Alnif, Morocco. What makes this pair so special is that they both have been professionally and carefully uncovered from their stony matrix to display three dimensional spines and give them a life-like appearance. Many many hours of labor are required to achieve these remarkable results, as the stone matrix is extremely hard and literally must be removed a grain at a time.
The larger 2 inch long black trilobite belongs to Ceratarges armatus with its stalked eyes, two long curved spines on the head (Cephalon) and four long curved spines on its tail section (Pygidium). The four front spines, eyestalks and rear spine are free standing. The rest of the spines are complete on the matrix. The second rare trilobite is the 1¾ Leonaspis which has a series of spiked genal spines on the head and body, as well as a "unicorn" type nose, spike spine and stalked eyes. These spines prevented the trilobites from being swallowed whole by predators. The stalked eyes, "unicorn"spikes, and two long genal spines are free standing complete except for the end of one of the spines. These museum-quality trilobites are custom mounted in lucite and were the highlight of an old-time fossil collection. Weight is 4½ pounds.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,250.
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