Why Trilobites?
PREFACE
This classic midwestern lichid represents one of the most sought-after U.S. trilobites. Disarticulated pieces are relatively common finds at this site, but complete specimens rank among the true treasures of the North American fossil landscape.
Around the globe, paleontologists have named entire geologic horizons for the prolific, frequently disarticulated exoskeletons of these long-gone ocean inhabitants. Indeed, it would be hard to find a place on Earth where the distinctive debris of trilobites is not preserved in various slates, shales, or sandstones. Trilobites evidently grew quite rapidly and, much like modern arthropods, molted numerous times each year. Thus, an overwhelming percentage of their fossilized remains are not of the deceased animals themselves but of their cast aside, and often fragmentary, external armor.
The fact is that trilobites have been uncovered just about everywhere that sedimentary outcrops of the right age exist, from Morocco’s imposing Atlas Mountains, to Bolivia’s soaring Altiplano, to the serrated escarpments surrounding California’s Death Valley. They have been found in the desolate Siberian steppes, on the shores of frigid Scandinavian islands, in the bustling suburbs of major North American cities—and virtually every other Paleozoic place in between!
From present-day England to Canada, from Australia to China, from Greenland to the Czech Republic, the fossil record provides ample evidence that trilobites—or “bugs,” as they are fondly called by those who find themselves inexorably drawn to these ancient arthropods—filled virtually every saltwater habitat of their primeval world.
In the Paleozoic, the roughly 290-million-year era that ran from the beginning of the Cambrian through the end of the Permian, the surface of our planet looked radically different than it does today. The continents we now instantly recognize by their distinctive shapes and familiar global alignment had not yet been transported to their current lithospheric locations via the geological phenomenon of plate tectonics. Instead, they were often packed together in nondescript clusters in the Earth’s Southern Hemisphere, with one or at times two major landmasses dominating what was otherwise a water world.
Significant sections of what we presently view as the continents of North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and even
PLACOPARINA SEDGWICKI (MCCOY, 1849); SHELVENSIS (HUGHES, 1969)
Middle Ordovician, Lower Llanvirn Series, Abereiddian Stage Shelve Formation, Hope Shale Member, Artus Biozone, Whitsburn, Shropshire, England, UK; 5.1 cm
Beautiful and crisp preservation distinguishes this remarkable example of a relatively common species from the famed English Midlands.
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ALLOLICHAS HALLI (FOERSTE, 1888) Ordovician; Cincinnatian Series; Mt. Orab, Ohio, United States; 2.5 cm
Antarctica were then below sea level, allowing marine forms like trilobites to become fossilized in locations now hundreds of kilometers from the nearest prominent body of water.
Clearly, by any measurable means, trilobites were among the most important and abundant inhabitants of early Earth. In all honesty, however, despite their worldwide distribution and the essential, yet often overlooked, role they played in the development of life on our planet—possibly being the initial creatures to venture, albeit briefly, out of the seas—it is difficult for even the most ardent trilobite enthusiast to explain the almost mystical allure that these amazing organisms hold over both those who study and collect them.
Perhaps it is the fact that the fossils of so many unknown trilobite species are still lurking out there somewhere, just waiting for a determined explorer to free them from their eons-old rock encasements. Perhaps it is the incredible antiquity of these primal beasts, or the notion that they represent one of Earth’s first successful experiments with complex organic matter. Or perhaps it is simply that in the opinion of a small but significant segment of the world’s population, trilobites are just plain “cool.” Featuring an astonishing assemblage of shapes, colors, and sizes—ranging from diminutive Cambrian ptychopariids that rarely exceeded a millimeter in length to giant species of Ordovician asaphids that attained proportions of more than 70 centimeters—it can be asserted that no other dwellers of our planet’s deep-blue seas have ever displayed the diversity and the longevity of these singularly distinctive examples of Paleozoic life.
Trilobites have existed—either as living animals or fossilized forms—for more than half a billion years, but the collecting of these extraordinary organisms is a relatively recent occurrence. Many classic geology books reference certain erudite Europeans being aware of “frozen locusts,” as they were then called, as far back as the eighteenth
century. Other tomes explain that southwestern Native American tribes have long treated the Elrathia kingii carapaces they encountered with the reverence of religious artifacts, and some volumes may mention that as early as the tenth century noble houses in China proudly presented trilobite fossils as pieces of natural art.
It is also believed that Egyptian royalty flaunted trilobite fossils as symbols of power and prestige nearly 4,000 years ago. In fact, well-worn and apparently highly prized trilobite specimens have been found among the personal possessions of ice age humans discovered in European cave sites dating back more than 15,000 years. Even President Thomas Jefferson exhibited a small trilobite as part of his celebrated “cabinet of curiosities” scientific collection.
Other than these select and often fragmentary morsels of fossiliferous information—unquestionably highlighted by the pioneering nineteenthcentury research and subsequent writings of the American paleontologist Charles Walcott, the British geologist Sir Roderick Murchison, and the French naturalist Joachim Barrande—historical references to trilobites remain rather obscure. We know, for example, that sociable Englishmen could frequently be found foraging for trilobites almost two centuries ago while they strolled through the Silurian deposits near the town of Dudley. And at a similar time, quarry workers in the fossil-rich sediments of what was then Bohemia were noted for their willingness to find, piece together, and then sell what were basically disassociated trilobite parts, in the process creating chimera-like monstrosities unknown to either science or the Cambrian seas.
Yet despite such past, fleeting moments of paleontological notoriety and renown, it seems that the focused collecting of these absorbing invertebrates—especially by amateur enthusiasts—is a distinct by-product of late-twentieth-century
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technology. It’s been during the last 50-plus years that the advent of nimble off-road vehicles, powerful rock-moving machinery, and sensitive GPS trackers have made the exploration and excavation of new trilobite-bearing locations more accessible to both adventurers and academics. In addition, the emergence of small, affordable, air abrasive units has made detailed cleaning of any subsequent finds increasingly convenient and the resulting preparation more spectacular.
The most pronounced consequence of it all as we continue hurtling through the twenty-first century is that trilobites have begun to exert an ever-more forceful grip upon the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of thousands of Paleozoically inclined people around the globe. Websites dedicated to either the scrutiny or sale of these engaging creatures have emerged as invaluable resources for both scientists and collectors. Indeed, one notable Facebook page, which provides a continually updated “all-things-trilobite” forum, recently bragged about being comprised of an active community of over 10,000 members—perhaps not quite up to Kardashian-clan standards, but still rather impressive considering its less than mainstream subject matter.
For many fossil enthusiasts, these rock-encased remnants now rank as the most significant of primordial faunal forms, surpassing even the hallowed dinosaur in their paleontological appeal. In recent years, feature stories focused on the collectability of trilobites have appeared everywhere, from the New York Times to Forbes magazine, and at the same time these astounding arthropods have continued to make ubiquitous appearances across the internet as well as in major natural history auctions held from London to Los Angeles. In loose conjunction with these developments, exciting trilobite-centric museum displays have recently opened in New York, Prague, Washington, D.C., Cancun, Barcelona, Houston, and Casablanca,
with each further spotlighting the surprisingly global allure exhibited by these 500-million-yearold marine relics.
Thanks to this intriguing combination of factors—including their easy availability for both study and sale, their often outlandish appearance, the amazing tales told by their fossilized remains, and the incredible duration of their passage through Earth history—trilobites, in all their multisegmented glory, represent one of early life’s most captivating efforts. The quest here is to further reveal why, although if you’ve gotten this far, you may already know the answer!
In Travels with Trilobites, I invite you to come along on fossil-seeking sojourns to more than a score of paleontological strongholds found across the planet. Together we’ll venture to Alnif, Morocco, the trilobite hub perched on the edge of the Sahara Desert . . . La Paz, located sky-high in the Bolivian Altiplano . . . the Sakha Republic, deep in the heart of the Siberian wilderness . . . and Kangaroo Island, the colorful destination situated off the coast of South Australia.
We’ll also visit a multitude of somewhat more accessible trilobite-rich repositories, such as the renowned Rochester Shale quarry in upstate New York, the bountiful Haragan Formation deposits of Oklahoma, the historic Wenlock outcrops of England, the legendary Burgess Shale layers of British Columbia, and the rugged cliff-side trilobite beds of Anticosti Island, situated smack in the middle of Quebec’s busy St. Lawrence Seaway.
And if that’s not enough to satiate your trilobite-targeted cravings, we’ll go on an eye-opening trip behind the scenes at one of North America’s leading natural history museums and stop off at the famed fossil show that takes place each winter in Tucson, Arizona. There we will come face to cephalon with a choice selection of spectacular trilobite specimens, each designed to test the bounds of both your knowledge and your bank account.
PREFACE xxvii
In considered contrast to the profusion of scientifically inclined textbooks, dissertations, tomes, and treatises that have addressed the subject of the “World’s Favorite Fossil Arthropod,” the objective of Travels with Trilobites is to blend fact, fun, and fossiliferous content into a package of pure Paleozoic infotainment.
From the inception of this book, my avowed goal has been to appeal directly to the dedicated collector and the curious layperson—although my sincere hope is that there is also just enough hardcore scientific “stuff” presented to satisfy the oft-finicky tastes of any accredited academic. Through a series of globe and time-spanning essays, my intent is to go where no trilobite book has gone before, providing an interesting, enlightening, and at times even amusing look at trilobite hunters, collectors, preparators, and researchers, many of whom you’ll hear from in their own words.
Interspersed among the various “location” chapters that serve as this work’s cornerstone are more than two dozen concise reports focusing on such diverse yet related topics as trilobite eyes, the Paradoxides Paradox, ventral preservation, trilobite descendants (spoiler alert, there aren’t any), trilobites in history, and the strangest trilobites (the latter of which affords many candidates). In chapter 6 you will encounter a series of thoughts and observations, each written to furnish a revealing perspective on everything from trilobite values and specimen preparation to curating a collection, international fossil rules and regulations, and even fake trilobites.
MACROPYGE SP. CF. CHERMII STUBBLEFIELD, 1927
Lower Ordovician; Tremadoc Series, Cressagian Stage; Mawddach Group, Dol-Cyn-Afon Formation; Nant-y-Ceunant, near Dolgellau; Gwynedd County, North Wales, UK; 6.2 cm
This trilobite represents one of the strangest genera in the trilobite class. Note the slight torque of the specimen on its slate matrix.
Of course, plenty of space is allotted to the trilobites themselves. There are hundreds of high-resolution, full-page color images featuring some of the most incredible specimens ever found—many exceptional examples of relatively familiar genera as well as one-of-a-kind trilobite treasures.
Please understand that the primary mission here has never been to create an all-encompassing work presenting photos and descriptions of every trilobite ever discovered, or even of every species seen within each of the featured locations. My goal has been to create a proper photographic outlet through which to both enhance this book’s editorial content and showcase some of the most noteworthy trilobites ever unearthed. The specimens that have been selected—chosen from literally thousands of candidates to illustrate their elegantly eccentric configuration and often fanciful appearance—serve to promote the morphological variance, scientific significance, and collectible appeal that these intriguing invertebrates so effortlessly exude.
Feel free to approach the contents of this book in any manner you prefer. Each chapter can be perused in the order presented, or you can proceed by picking and choosing the subjects, concepts, or locations you find particularly engaging. Indeed, each editorial section of Travels with Trilobites has been designed to stand alone and apart from any surrounding text even as it simultaneously adds a key component to the timeless trilobite tale being told.
You may even decide initially to skip the arthropod-obsessed story line and focus solely on the eye candy display of trilobite photos that appear on virtually every page. Whether you choose to intently study the morphological details of each photographed specimen, mentally digest every carefully considered word, or just aspire to embrace trilobites as bizarrely beautiful creatures, I hope this book will remove any lingering doubt that these astonishing organisms—the planet’s original “rock
PREFACE xxix
Upper Ordovician; Upper Bobcaygeon Formation; Ontario, Canada; right: Ceraurus plattinensis: 7 cm; left: Ceraurus cf. globulobatus (ventral): 3.3 cm
During more than a century of exploration and excavation within its various outcrops, the Bobcaygeon Formation has produced a wonderful array of cheirurid species, many of which are now undergoing a scientific revision.
stars”—richly deserve both your attention and your admiration.
Among the more daunting challenges I faced while assembling Travels with Trilobites was deciding how to best organize the essays that appear here. Although all revolve around a solitary subject, they do cover an imposingly expansive territorial tract—both in terms of time and topography. During this process, the question was continually broached as to whether these fossil-fueled accounts would be most effective and enjoyable if
grouped by geographic region, by geologic period, or by related topic.
There were moments when it seemed that no solution would neatly encompass everything I hoped to present, and that no matter which editorial path was followed, not all content would fit succinctly into any such restrictive outline. Initially, instinct dictated observing a geographic plan, bundling the various featured trilobite locations by present-day continental alignment. I thought that such a strategy might potentially lend a degree of expansive “field guide” aura to the proceedings.
When push came to sedimentary shove, however, I decided on a timeline design, grouping the essays together by their respective geologic periods regardless of their corresponding location’s current continental disposition. Thus, a report on the Cambrian trilobite outcrops of Siberia is directly followed by tales of similarly aged formations in Australia, China, California, Canada, and the Czech Republic. Chapters then proceed chronologically through the Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous until reaching a culmination with the demise of the trilobite line at the end of the Permian. If nothing else, such an approach provides a measure of comparative Paleozoic perspective regarding the ever-changing role trilobites played during this volatile period of Earth history.
Perhaps, when all is said and done, certain readers may conclude that writing about trilobites, to paraphrase the late Frank Zappa, is curiously akin to dancing about architecture. Maybe so. Indeed, the overriding philosophy espoused by the fossil-seeking field-workers featured within these pages has always been, “Just shut up, and dig!”
But whether or not you agree with this book’s editorial focus, the insights presented, or even the choice of featured Paleozoic destinations, I sincerely hope you will find Travels with Trilobites to be an enlightening and entertaining journey into
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CERAURUS PLATTINENSIS FOERSTE, 1920; CERAURUS CF. GLOBULOBATUS BRADLEY, 1930
the Deep Time world inhabited by these most captivating of primal organisms. And if you happen to stumble upon an unintentionally erroneous factoid or two hidden within the text, photo captions, or specimen IDs, please take a moment to recall the immortal words of the old Scottish hard rock band Nazareth: In the end, it’s all close enough for rock ’n’ roll!
THE PHOTOGRAPHS
Much like the eternal question of whether a zebra is a white horse with black stripes, or a black horse with white stripes, I have long considered whether Travels with Trilobites is a photo book with accompanying essays, or an essay book with accompanying photographs. Either way, the avowed goal of this trilobite-propelled effort has been to achieve a somewhat harmonious balance between words and images, one that provides a proper forum for communicating the required degree of insight, fascination, and, yes, affection for those unique Paleozoic remnants.
The 300 photographs presented in Travels with Trilobites (which are of specimens drawn from my personal collection unless otherwise noted) have been specifically selected for a variety of reasons. Paramount among these is the simple desire to showcase the incredible diversity of design inherent within the trilobite class. This is something most effectively done when the featured trilobite is provided a full-page format from which to convey its oft-bizarre, half-billion-year-old elegance. Indeed, more than 50 such trilobite “portraits” embellish these pages, many representing unique examples being shown to the public for the first time.
From the graceful configurations displayed by Cambrian olenellids, to the streamlined shapes exhibited by Ordovician cheirurids, to the ornate intricacies of Silurian lichids, to the detailed compound eyes that adorn Devonian phacopids, my
intent is to furnish free rein to the expansive array of morphological forms that the trilobite line achieved during its 270-million-year trek through evolutionary time.
In addition, virtually every photo has been strategically placed either to best reflect the faunal content of each featured trilobite location or to enhance the particular paleontological concept being presented. Thus, an attractive grouping of Rochester Shale specimens has been aligned with the story of that deposit’s famed Silurian quarry in upstate New York, just as a dramatic display of Paradoxides trilobites from all corners of the globe accompany the chapter on plate tectonics.
However, as has been proven on innumerable occasions since the dawn of trilobites, things don’t always go exactly as planned—either with evolution or the layout of a book. As the various locations, files, and observations that comprise Travels with Trilobites were being finalized, an unexpected development began to rear its somewhat ugly cephalon. Despite the intended breadth and scope of this volume’s editorial focus, it started to become abundantly clear that there simply weren’t going to be enough categories in which to squeeze all the photographs originally planned for inclusion.
To remedy this situation, it was decided that at the end of every corresponding time-period chapter, a separate trilobite gallery would be created. Each of these five galleries (Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous) feature an assortment of age-appropriate photographs, compiled and presented without overriding regard to any specimen’s location of discovery, regional recurrence, or scientific gravitas.
The photos appearing in each of these special gallery sections have not been chosen to reflect some storied paleontological principle, highlight the contents of some legendary quarry, or reveal some previously mysterious morphological trait. They’re being displayed merely because of each
PREFACE xxxi
trilobite’s inherent beauty and stunning strangeness, qualities that make them more than worthy of being seen, studied, collected, and admired.
In the pages directly adjoining these various photo galleries, key “curation” information (identifying each specimen as to its genus, species, author, age, location, formation, and size), along with accompanying facts and field notes, has been provided for each specimen. Indeed, to the best of my abilities, this information has been supplied for every photograph in this book, whether it’s of a relatively common Asaphiscus wheeleri or a rare as trilobite teeth Uralichas hispanicus.
Unfortunately, due to the “publish or perish” mantra that in recent years has seemingly come to dominate contemporary academic thought, trilobite nomenclature is in a near-constant state of flux. That’s particularly true when it comes to both identifying and misidentifying the plethora of previously unknown species that continue to emerge from an ever-expanding inventory of new Paleozoic horizons. Thus, what may be considered cutting-edge trilobite data one week may be dismissed as little more than flawed, “old school” wisdom the next.
Oh, and by the way, the latest scientific research indicates, contrary to popular belief, that a zebra is, in fact, a black horse with white stripes. And when all is said and done, Travels with Trilobites is an essay book with accompanying photos. But those among us who may choose to rush directly to the
photographs without paying much initial heed to the text are certainly forgiven. After all, we trilobite enthusiasts tend to be a very visually oriented lot.
METRIC MEASUREMENTS
You will quickly notice that all measurements presented in Travels with Trilobites are metric. That’s true whether the size in question is indicating the dorsal length of a diminutive trinucleid trilobite or the distance between Paleozoic continents. Why? After all, being a lifelong resident of the United States, I am all too aware that in this corner of the planet such metric measurements are traditionally viewed with a pronounced level of disdain and dismissal, if not outright disgust. However, most trilobites were relatively small, and measuring these specimens in centimeters rather than inches has become an accepted international standard, one this trilobite-filled tome has somewhat reluctantly chosen to embrace. And once that initial metric threshold was breached, switching from feet to meters, and miles to kilometers, also seemed to make logical sense.
Such measurements may seem a little cumbersome at first, especially for anyone brought up under the auspices of the “renowned” American school system. For those who need a quick refresher, just remember that 1 inch equals 2.54 centimeters, and 1 mile equals 1.61 kilometers.
NEVADIA SP.
Lower Cambrian; Campito Formation, Montenegro Member; Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States; 5.1 cm
This is an elegant early trilobite from a remote and rarely collected location in the western United States.
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(TOP, LEFT) CROTALOCEPHALUS AFF. AFRICANUS
Middle Devonian; Bou Tchrafine Formation; Jorf, Morocco; 12.3 cm
In recent years, Jorf has emerged as one of Morocco’s premier Devonian trilobite locations.
(TOP, RIGHT) LENINGRADITES GRACIOSUS BALASHOVA, 1976
Middle Ordovician; Upper Llanvirnian and lower Llandeilian; Uhaku Regional Stage; Glyadino, St. Petersburg region, Russia; 7.2 cm
This beautifully preserved example of a relatively rare trilobite was drawn from one of the newer quarries that have recently emerged in the St. Petersburg region.
(MIDDLE,
LEFT) DOLICHOHARPES DENTONI (BILLINGS, 1863)
Upper Ordovician; Lake Simcoe; Bobcaygeon Formation; Ontario, Canada; 4.5 cm
This is one of the more unusual species found within the abundant Bobcaygeon Formation layers.
(BOTTOM, LEFT) WANNERIA
WALCOTTANA (WANNER,1901)
Lower Cambrian; Kinzers Formation; Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States; 6 cm
Once prevalent on the commercial market, these large trilobites have become scarce in recent years as area quarries continue to close. This represents one of the keystone species in any major trilobite collection.
(OPPOSITE PAGE)
ELLIPTOCEPHALA SP.
Lower Cambrian; Rosella Formation, Atan Group; British Columbia, Canada; 8 cm
In the early years of this century, fossil-oriented adventurers began seeking out previously inaccessible locations . . . occasionally with spectacular results.
