Known as the most prolific trilobite specimen source worldwide, the Trilobyte Me! Quarry operated by the folks at High Desert Gems and Minerals is where you can dig your own specimens of those iconic Utah trilobites. These classic specimens, most notably of the species Elrathia kingii are preserved in exquisite detail in the Wheeler Shale formation of Western Utah. The Wheeler Shale is a truly ancient rock and is 505 million years old, a time when Utah was very tropical, oriented close to the equator. The Trilobyte Me! Quarry gives the public a chance to explore one of the world’s best quality, most finely preserved fossil occurrences. Not only are a variety of trilobites found here, but other ancient sea life such as brachiopods, sponges, primitive crustaceans, and rare soft bodied animals.<\/p>\n
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Photos from the mine operators. The operators state on their site that the pile represents approximately the finds from just two days of basic digging! The trilobite specimens in matrix show what you might find splitting rocks<\/p>\n
What is a Trilobite?:<\/p>\n
Trilobites are ancient arachnomorph (arachnid-like) class of arthropod invertebrates, meaning they are related to insects, crustaceans, and arachnids. Despite their crustacean like appearance, they are most closely related to spiders, horseshoe crabs, and scorpions. They were among the most diverse classes of life on earth during the lower paleozoic but many became extinct in the Devonian, and were all finally wiped out in the Permian mass extinction event.<\/p>\n
Trilobites remain so well preserved in the fossil record because of their hard exoskeletons, which were easily replaced by calcite over time. They range in size and shape greatly from a few millimeters to about a foot long and are found in paleozoic rocks worldwide. Trilobites have large, prominent compound eyes and a pair of flexible, sometimes long antennae as well as many pairs of segmented legs for moving and feeding, similar to a pillbug. Some trilobites had elaborate spines, but those species are not often seen in the Wheeler Shale. Many species could even roll up in a ball for defense. Trilobites were mostly scavengers or sifted through the substrate for food, but there is some suggestion a few species were carnivorous. A great diversity of well preserved species is found in the Wheeler Shale, and the Trilobyte Me! Quarry is an extremely rich source.<\/p>\n
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The Trilobite body is divided into three main parts that can be thought of a head, torso, and tail. See the above figure, the head is called the cephalon (1) , the torso is the thorax (2) , and the tail is the pygidium (3). Lengthwise the body is divided into three lobes, the right pleural lobe (4), the axial lobe (5), and the left pleural lobe (6)<\/p>\n