A. kowalewskii Periscope Eye Trilobite Fossil from Russia

Asaphus kowalewskii (Lawrow, 1856))
Middle Ordovician Period (435 Ma)
Wolchow River Region, Vilpovitsy Quaryy, St Petersburg, Russia

The trilobite is centered beautifully on a piece of limestone and very well inflated with both HUGE eye stalks present.

This trilobite is from the Wolchow River Region, Vilpovitsy Quaryy, St Petersburg, Russia, dating to the Middle Ordovician Period (around 435 million years ago). It has been meticulously cleaned and prepared. This prep was done in a lab setting , cleaned using a micro-abrasive unit to expose the fine details and preserve the gorgeous shell.

These trilobites were thought to have been scavenging feeders in cold waters, along the sea floors, eating dead remnants and algae, traversing the oceans in large schools. These specific Asaphids are thought to have used their elongated eye stalks to wade in murky mud or sediments and either catch prey or avoid predators this way.

What is a Trilobite?
Trilobites are an ancient sea dwelling creature that represents one of the earliest known groups in the Arthopod family. Known by 10 Orders and over 20,000 described species, with new species being unearthed and described every year, trilobites are one of the most diverse class of fossils and known around the world. Through trilobite fossils, modern geology studies in plate tectonic theories, evolutionary biology, and more have contributed to these findings.