A statement example of the magnificent Paradoxides acadoparadoxides trilobites measruing 3.5ft overall, now surmounted on a custom designed acrylic base. This monumental sized statement plate containing four complete individuals is a part of an ancient Cambrian period sea bed from the region of Sidi Abdullah ben el Hadj, Morocco. The Paradoxides acadoparadoxides trilobites arranged by a natural event as the fast swimming invertebrates were trapped in the silts of time. Covered perhaps in some underwater cataclysm which petrified and fossilised these trilobites over millions of years.

The process of fossilisation is best achieved in an anoxic environment when sufficiently buried without oxygen bacteria cannot quickly establish on the once-living organisms and so this enables the successful and very rare event of fossilisation. The beautiful palette of green and soft rust browns, caused by mineral absorption into the invertebrates carapaces (exoskeleton) and surrounding matrix (fossil bedrock), has created these natural earth colours which are mainly due to iron oxides being present in the sediments. The sublime and natural placement of the extinct ocean-dwelling arthropods is aesthetically pleasing with furrows and depths creating a dramatic shadowy forgotten world.

Trilobites are named from the Greek, the Latin naming of 'tri' and 'lobos', the three lobes of the body of the trilobite. The carapace is made up of three main lobes which run longitudenally the length of the doublure (the carapace or exoskeleton), In this wonderful example above the three main lobes are well detailed and therefore easily discernible to the novice as much to the connoisseur collector. The central lobe is termed the axial lobe, each side of this are the right and left pleural lobes. These lobes run through the cephalon (head shield) and the pygidium, the tail section.

The plate was discovered in the desert mountains by our associates in the field in Morocco and prepared by fossil preparator technicians in the Moroccan Studio-Lab. Having knowledge of collection and preparation of the specimen plate creates a unique historical provenance link to the fossil finder and digging team which enables the fossil store to guarantee the authenticity of the fossil trilobites we offer for sale.

A very brief pre-Cambrian trilobite history. The class of trilobites evolved during the Pre-Cambrian period this time period began around five hundred and forty million years ago, the phylum Arthropoda of that time were the most complex forms of animal life in the oceans, the trilobites reign in the oceans of the world lasted over two hundred and seventy million years finally coming to an end around two hundred and fifty million years ago during the Permian great death, a cataclysmic extinction event with saw the demise of almost 90% of life on the planet. Before this extinction-level event trilobites were diverse and ranged globally. They were complex animals, having the first compound eyes and segmented bodies enabling them to escape danger by enrolling and aiding fast movement and evolution of sea bed dwellers as well as some free-swimming varieties.

The Paradoxides acadoparadoxides trilobites were discovered in the Atlas mountains, in the Jbel Wawrmast Formation, of Zagora region, the Draa Valley, near Alnifi, Sidi Abdullah ben el Hadj village, Morocco, North Africa. Phylum Arthropoda, Class Trilobita, Order Redlichiida, Suborder Redlichiina, Family Paradoxididae, Genus Acadoparadoxides, Specie type A. sacheri (Barrande, 1852), described, Acadoparadoxides harlani Green (Walcott 1884), Acadoparadoxides Šnajdr, 1957, Acadoparadoxides mureroensis Sdzuy 1958 (2nd edition Richard Levi Setti), Acadoparadoxides briareus (Geyer, 1993).

Topical Note: This type of Moroccan trilobite plate is susceptible to forgery by unscrupulous Moroccan sellers, these copies are prolific in the fossil marketplace in Africa and the rest of the world. Because of the nature of the limestone, which is very forgiving, replicas cast from original fossil trilobites have been manufactured in the past. Also, pieces of partially surviving trilobites are stuck together to appear as one original repaired trilobite, covered with reddish iron powder, excavated from the originating fossil beds concealing any break lines when the reconstructed pizza style plates are built up. Often the Moroccan plates are etched with a hatching technique around the trilobite in an attempt to hide reconstruction lines. The method is also carried out on original plates which have been excavated in pieces and reconstructed or restored, which is a different matter and not faking the original and natural product. A competent reconstruction can be challenging to detect to the layperson. Every fossil from our website thefossilstore.com comes with a firm guarantee of authenticity which can be verified.

Genus: Paradoxides acadoparadoxides briareus (Geyer, 1993)
Age: Palaeozoic era, Mid Cambrian, 540,000,000 - 500,000,000 years ago.
Origin: Jbel Wawrmast Formation, of Zagora region, the Draa Valley, near Alnifi, Sidi Abdullah ben el Hadj village, Morocco, North Africa.

Paradoxides measurements.
Height: 84 cm
Width: 107 cm
Plate thickness: 4 cm

Overall measurements.
Height: 93 cm
Width: 107 cm
Depth 30 cm

Overall weight: 24.095 Kg