Page 39 - The Dinosaur Book and Other Wonders of the Prehistoric World (DK-Smithsonian)

Uncurled Phacops

Walliserops Trilobites

The body of Phacops was The three-pronged
made up of 11 segments, spear may have been
each bearing a pair of legs. used to fight rivals.

Ditomopyge
Selenopeltis

The dome-shaped, bumpy Like many trilobites, These fossils may
head shield covered the this was probably be the empty skins of
trilobite’s mouthparts. a seabed hunter Selenopeltis—all
and scavenger. trilobites shed their
Ogygopsis Xystridura
skins as they grew.

This was one of
the most common
trilobites found in
Burgess Shale,
Canada.

The tail was made up
Ogygopsis Paradoxides of many segments fused
into a single plate.

and large eyes; trilobites were among the first for food on the seabed, but
animals to evolve compound eyes packed full others could swim. There were
of lenses, just like those of today’s insects. Some, at least 17,000 known species,
including Ceratalges and Walliserops, had ranging from tiny creatures less than
spectacular spines that may have been for 1 ⁄8 in (3 mm) long to animals that were
courtship or defense. Many would have foraged as big as this book. 37

US_036-037_Trilobites.indd 37 26/04/18 3:30 PM