By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl The Cambrian trilobite ALBERTELLA longwelli has a very small pygidium or tail section, but it ends with two very long, rearward-pointing spines. It has a wide cephalon that ends in long, outwardly-pointing spines. The third thoracic segment...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl There are many species of CERAURUS trilobites around the world, including Canada and the United States. Each species has subtle differences. This CERAURUS pleurexanthemus specimen comes from Trenton Falls, New York. It averaged around one...

The Ordovician trilobite HOMOTELUS bromidensis is often found in mass death assemblages. It is theorized that they perished due to a catastrophic event during the mating period. Today, modern horseshoe crabs gather by the tens of thousands for mating....

HEMIRHODON amplypyge is a Cambrian trilobite that is roughly oval shaped, and it is very broad and flat. The Cephalon or head section is roughly semi-circular. The cephalon and pygidium are, again, broad and flat. The axial lobe is thinner than the pleural lobes. It...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl OLENELLUS fowleri is almost circular in shape. Its cephalon or head section is very large and broad and is the distinguishing feature of this trilobite. It is very highly ornamented with many rearward projecting spines. The eyes are set...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl CRYPTOLITHUS ulrichi has a very broad Cephalon bordered by a wide “brim,” which has a large number of pits or holes. It has been theorized that this trilobite was a filter feeder and that the wide brim and pits assisted in feeding. The...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl The BUMASTIS ioxus trilobite was found in the United States during the digging of the Erie Canal. It was first discovered in 1839 in a gorge dug for the canal. Being roughly oval in shape, it is difficult to judge which is the Cephalon and...

One of the more rare MODOCIA species, the name makes an apt description. Other MODOCIA have large genal spines, and this species does not. It has small spines; hence, the term brevispina. This trilobite is roughly oval in shape and has a semi-circular cephalon, or...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl GREENOPS boothi can be found in several parts of Michigan, New York, and Ontario, Canada. This Devonian trilobite is very showy with all the spikes and spines it has on its body. The long and broad genal spines help us to identify it....

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl CYPHASPIS carrolli is a rare and spectacular trilobite. Found in the Haragan Formation in Coal County, Oklahoma, it is a recent addition to the body of scientific knowledge about trilobites. Trilobite paleontologist Robert Carroll...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl This is a cute but small oval-shaped trilobite. Typically, CEDARIA minor measures 3/8 inches long. It has a smooth glabella and Cephalon with a medium profile, making it not too tall or inflated. The Cephalon ends in medium-length genal...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl The PERONOPSIS interstricta were small, blind trilobites that were isopygious, meaning the head section and the tail section were roughly the same size. In fact, at first glance, one cannot determine which end is the front and which is the...

The trilobite pictured is lying atop a small bryozoan branch. It would be very difficult to remove the branch without damage to this very fine UTASPIS This trilobite is one of the Cambrian trilobites commonly found in the House Range of Millard County, Utah, which is...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl One of the largest species of trilobite found in New York State, TRIMURUS delphinocephalus is a prize in anyone’s collection. The digging of the Erie Canal in the 1800s produced some very interesting finds to the diggers. The TRIMURUS has a...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl Presented here is PSEUDODECHANELLA rowi, a beautiful and deep black-colored trilobite from the Devonian Period of New York. This stout trilobite has a very inflated and semi-circular head section. With very large crescent-shaped eyes, its...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl MAUROTARIAN axitiosum is a Devonian trilobite from the famous Haragan Formation of Coal County, Oklahoma. This area is well known for the cream colored matrix and the caramel colored calcite the trilobites are preserved as. The preservation...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl There are many species of MODOCIA, and this one typicalis, or typical, is quite common in the Cambrian deposits of Millard County, Utah. This trilobite is the most famous and showy of the MODOCIA trilobites. It is generally oval in shape,...

By Joseph “PaleoJoe” Kchodl This species of Silurian CALYMENE has a very bulbous and furrowed glabella. The trilobite is roughly triangular in shape with the cephalon that is roughly semi–circular in shape. This trilobite is fairly broad and has a small pygidium. The...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl The COMPTONASPIS swallowi species is another trilobite appearing at the end of the reign of trilobites. There was a catastrophic event at the end of the Permian period, which resulted in the trilobites being wiped out. This Mississippian...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl This Cambrian trilobite is found in the Wheeler formation of Delta County, Utah. Interestingly, it is quite uncommon to find this trilobite with free cheeks attached. Most examples appear as discarded molt because, with a hard exoskeleton,...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl CALYMENE niagarensis is a very common Silurian trilobite found in the Rochester Shale.  The trilobite is roughly triangular with a cephalon that is roughly semi-circular in shape. This trilobite is fairly broad, has a small pygidium, and...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl Nevada is known for its grand casinos, but for trilobite hunters, it is known for grand Cambrian trilobites. Equally grand, in terms of trilobite size, is the Nevada native OLENELLUS fremontii. This type of trilobite is known to grow up to...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl The featured fossil, a ZACANTHOIDES idahoensis, is a very spiny Cambrian trilobite with a wide cephalon that ends in long genal spines. The thorax is slender and contains nine segments and two pleural lobe sections that end in very long...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl The KETTNERASPIS williamsi is a small but highly ornamented trilobite. Very broad and wide this trilobite has long spines, and was initially named LEONASPIS williamsi. The eyes are set high on the cephalon, and the cephalon ends in two very...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl Oklahoma is considered by some to be the best location for the best preservation of trilobites of the Devonian in the U.S. One specific location provides most if not all of the Devonian Haragan Formation Oklahoma bugs found for sale in rock...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl The BELLACARTWRIGHTTIA whitelyi is a seldom-seen trilobite. As you may be well aware, trilobites are an extinct form of arthropod related to insects, crabs, crayfish, and horseshoe crabs. These creatures are called trilobite due to the...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl Did you know trilobite get their name from the three distinct “lobes” running vertically through their body section? In this week’s trilobite review, we're looking at the HUNTONIA linguifer. This trilobite is very similar in size and shape...

By Joseph “PaleoJoe” Kchodl The common Silurian trilobite, CALYMENE celebra, is easy to identify, mostly because of the rock it is found in, the color, and excellent preservation. It is the State Fossil of Wisconsin. These trilobites are found in the Niagaran...

By Joseph “Paleo Joe” Kchodl As you may be well aware, trilobites are an extinct form of arthropod related to insects, crabs, crayfish, and horseshoe crabs. These creatures are called trilobite due to the three distinct “lobes” running vertically through the body...

By Joseph "Paleo Joe" Kchodl DICRANURUS elegantus is a very highly ornamented spiny Devonian trilobite species. It has very long and flowing genal, thoracic and pygidial spines. Preparation of this trilobite preserved in limestone is very painstaking and time...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl ARCTINURUS boltoni is a well known and dramatic trilobite found in the Silurian deposits of New York State. During the digging of the Erie Canal in the 1820’s, these trilobites were a unique find. Trilobites are an extinct form of arthropod...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl As you may be well aware, trilobites are an extinct form of arthropod related to insects, crabs, crayfish and horseshoe crabs. These creatures are called trilobite due to the three distinct “lobes” running vertically through the body...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl Trilobites are an extinct form of arthropod related to insects, crabs, crayfish and horseshoe crabs. These creatures are called trilobite due to the three distinct “lobes” running vertically through the body section. Arguably one of the...

By Joseph "PaleoJoe" Kchodl As you may be well aware, trilobites are an extinct form of arthropod related to insects, crabs, crayfish and horseshoe crabs. These creatures are called trilobite due to the three distinct “lobes” running vertically through the body...

Trilobites are an extinct form of arthropod related to insects, crabs, crayfish and horseshoe crabs. These creatures are called trilobite due to the three distinct “lobes” running vertically through the body section. There is a central or “axial” lobe and two pleural...