Trilobites of the Month!!!
fossil group of extinct marine arthropods
One of a kind
Trilobites form one of the earliest known groups of arthropods. Trilobites form the class known as Trilobita. Before their dominance over the seas during the Ordovician period.
You will remember me
They flourished throughout the lower Paleozoic era before their extinction. During the Devonian era all trilobite except Proetida died out. Trilobites finally disappeared in the mass extinction which occurred at the end of the Permian ear about 250 million years ago.
I'm a classic Trilobite
Trilobites were among the most successful of all early animals, roaming the oceans for over 270 million years.Because trilobites had wide diversity and had an exoskeleton an extensive fossil record was left behind, with some 17,000 known species spanning the Paleozoic era.
Physical Characterstics
I have a hard exterior which helps protect me against predators. My shell is made up of three layers. It's very strong, but varied in thickness and shape among my species. My body has three distinct body sections. Which include the cephalon, the thorax and the pygidium. The cephalon (head section), contains my eyes, mouthparts and antennae. Now the thorax (middle section), provides flexibility for me to bend or roll up into a ball. Lastly, the pygidium (tail section), is comprised of several fused segments and varies in size depending on which trilobite your talking about. Now I was among the first creatures to develop sophisticated eyes. My unique eyes are made up of many units similar to those found in insects today. My vision is highly sensitive to motion and has good depth of field with minimal distortion.
One Big Happy Family
My family consist of spiders, centipedes, insects, crustaceans, and probably my closest living relative is the horseshoe crab.
Let's talk about sex
Its really hard to explain how I reproduce. Since I went extinct before any conclusion could have been made. The most likely option is that female simply released her eggs into the environment, either by placing them in burrows within the sediment or attaching them to coral, sponges or marine flora while the male simultaneously released his sperm.
Not a picky eater
When it comes to feeding I can range from predator, scavenger, filter-feeder, free-swimming planktivore, and even a parasite. But, the majority of the time I may have been a predator-scavenger.
Not a social butterfly
Trilobites had little interactions with other Arthropods.
Trilobites are trailblazers
Trilobites are often used by geologists and paleontologists to date the rock formations in which they are found. They show how evolution occurs starting from the simplest form to the most complex Trilobites.