Large, 2.5" Dicranurus Trilobite With Ventral Lochovella - Oklahoma

Large, Dicranurus Trilobite With Ventral Lochovella - Oklahoma #170269

This is a large, 2.5" long, spine Dicranurus elegans trilobite from the famous Black Cat Mountain Quarry in Clarita, Oklahoma. Most Dicranurus are under 2" and a good one of this size is typically only found once every few years. It has been masterfully prepared under microscope by Bob Carroll and as an added bonus there is a ventrally prepared Lochovella near the corner of the rock.

It is nicely centered on a 7.3 x 6" section of limestone and the distinctive "rams horns" have been prepared free-standing.

The Black Cat Mountain Quarry produces a limited number of arguably the most beautiful trilobites in the United States each year. Each specimen is meticulously prepared by quarry owner Bob Carroll under microscope to expose the smallest details. This is a very time consuming process, taking many hours, but yields spectacular results.

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.