Scabriscutellum sp. Trilobite | Ofaten, Morocco

Matrix size: 2.25" x 2.5" x 1.5" 

Species size: 4.5 cm 

Scabriscutellum trilobite from Ofaten, Morocco. Excellent shell detail including thousands of tiny eye facets are present. There is a tiny spine on each axial ring in this species, as well as spines above the eyes. 

Trilobites, exclusively marine animals, first appeared at the beginning of the Cambrian Period, about 542 million years ago, when they dominated the seas. Although they became less abundant in succeeding geologic periods, a few forms persisted into the Permian Period, which ended about 251 million years ago.