Fantastic Facts You Need To Know About Trilobites

 Trilobites are extinct marine arthropods with an exoskeleton that is made of chitin. The name trilobite comes from Latin, meaning three parts of the body. Paleontologists believe that these creatures lived millions of years ago before they disappeared along with other ancient animals. Once lived under the ocean, trilobites now appear as fossils in coastal rocks. Here are fantastic facts about trilobites.

Appearance

These creatures are a diverse class of animals on the earth since they look like somewhere between crab and bug that can live in the ocean. They are very popular among fossil hunters because of their distinctive features: a left pleural lobe, a middle axial lobe, and a right pleural lobe. Their bodies had thick exoskeletons like a cockroach and three different sections: cephalon, the head part, thorax, the middle area, and pygidium, the tail. Unlike other bugs, trilobites had legs, gills, and antennas, making them rare among marine beings.



Long lifespan

Fossil studies showed that trilobites could be one of the oldest prehistoric animals that lived millions of years ago. They were successful animals that lived a long span of an era from the early Cambrian Period to the end of the Paleozoic age. That means they went extinct in the Permian catastrophic event where many other animals also perished. Their ability to curl up bodies could be one reason why they survived for long. They also molt like other crabs and snakes to renew their bodies.

Discoveries

The first officially known discovery of trilobite fossils tracks back to 1698 in China. Paleontologist Wan Shizen named trilobites as batstones. Later another scientist Edward Lhwyd presented the first drawing of trilobites and described them as flatfishes owing to their body shape. In recent years, paleontologist Samuel Turvey discovered a new species of trilobite in China. He named this rare genus Han, a character of Star Wars merchandise. Other countries, including the USA, Canada, and Morocco, are also home to some trilobite species.

Scientists have little knowledge about trilobites so far. They found out that Shoshonean people from the Utah region use the trilobite fossils as amulets to protect against evil. To find out more about this amazing charming creature, order its fossil from an online dealer.

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