Trilobite - Phacopid

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Complete Phacopid trilobite from the Coalbrookdale formation of Buildwas, Shropshire. Trilobites are a group of extinct marine arachnomorph arthropods that form the class Trilobita. These ancient creatures form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods on Earth. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the Atdabanian stage of the Early Cambrian period, dating back an astonishing 521 million years ago. They flourished throughout the lower Paleozoic era before beginning a drawn-out decline to extinction when, during the Devonian, all trilobite orders except the Proetids died out. Trilobites disappeared in the mass extinction at the end of the Permian about 252 million years ago. These incredible creatures were among the most successful of all early animals, roaming the oceans for over 270 million years. By the time trilobites first appeared in the fossil record, they were already highly diversified and geographically dispersed across various parts of the world. Due to their wide diversity and easily fossilized exoskeleton, they left an extensive fossil record, with some 17,000 known species spanning Paleozoic time. The study of these fossils has facilitated important contributions to biostratigraphy, palaeontology, evolutionary biology, and plate tectonics. Trilobites had many different lifestyles; some moved over the sea bed as predators, scavengers, or filter feeders, while others swam, feeding on plankton. Most lifestyles expected of modern marine arthropods are seen in trilobites, with the possible exception of parasitism (where scientific debate continues). Some trilobites (particularly the family Olenidae) are even thought to have evolved a symbiotic relationship with sulfur-eating bacteria from which they derived food. This incredible fossil was imaged using a canon 5DS R and Stackshot 3x with turntable, providing an astonishing 90 images that were then processed using agisoft photoscan at high levels.