A beautifully crafted metal sculpture of a trilobite, featuring a threaded rod on the underside for easy mounting in stone, masonry, or another solid surface. Simply drill a hole, secure it, and this ancient inhabitant of the Paleozoic seas will instantly give your garden wall, rock garden, stone pillar, or facade a prehistoric look.
The trilobite is one of the most famous fossils in the world, and its shape captivates not only paleontology enthusiasts at first glance, but also anyone who appreciates the history of Earth hidden within stone.
This decoration pays homage to these creatures that ruled the seas long before the dinosaurs appeared.
- Size: 8 × 17 cm
- Material: metal
- Mounted using a threaded rod
- Made in the Czech Republic
Trilobites were arthropods, distant relatives of today’s crustaceans, arachnids, and echinoderms. They first appeared on Earth more than 520 million years ago during the Cambrian period and, for nearly 270 million years, were among the most successful creatures of the Paleozoic seas. During that time, thousands of species of various sizes and shapes evolved. Some measured only a few millimeters, while others reached lengths of over half a meter. They inhabited shallow coastal areas, deeper seabeds, and coral reefs, feeding on a diverse diet ranging from tiny organisms to organic debris on the seafloor.
Their name means “three-lobed,” because their body was divided lengthwise into three parts. It also consisted of three main sections—the head, thorax, and tail shield. Many species had compound eyes composed of calcite lenses, representing one of the oldest known visual systems in the animal kingdom. When threatened, some trilobites could curl up into a ball, much like hedgehogs do today, thereby protecting their soft undersides from predators.
It is precisely thanks to their hard exoskeleton that trilobites have become one of the most common fossils. Paleontologists find their fossils on every continent, and they serve as an important tool for determining the age of rocks. Exceptionally well-preserved specimens have also been discovered in the Czech Republic, particularly in the Paleozoic deposits of Central Bohemia, which were made famous by the renowned French paleontologist Joachim Barrande.
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