Trilobite
 The
largest trilobite yet discovered has been identified by Canadian
palaeontologists, it dates from 445 million years ago and measures 72
centimetres in length, Twice the size of the previous record holder.
Trilobites are an extinct group of sea-dwelling arthropods that are
distantly related to crabs, scorpions and beetles. The first trilobite to be
discovered in Britain with some of its soft tissue preserved has been found
by an amateur fossil collector in Wales.
 The
Trilobite must have been a fascinating creature, although resembling a wood
louse, they are nothing like this in reality.. For a start they are much
bigger, 30Cm and more, unlike the tiny wood louse of 3-30 mm.
In the Carmarthen area of South Wales, the tails of some trilobites were
once thought to be butterflies that had been turned to stone by Merlin. !
The part of the trilobite that gets fossilised is the exoskeleton. The
trilobite would moult its exoskeleton several times during its life.
Trilobites left an wealth of fossils during their 350 million years on
Earth. These fossils are of some value during the Cambrian and Ordovician.
From the fossil record it is possible to see their diversity increase and
decrease until their eventual extinction. |
