Hollardops Trilobite | Morocco

HollardopsMiddle DevonianOfaten, Morocco   Trilobite approx. size: 2.75" x 1.75" Matrix approx. size: 4" x 2.25" x 4" This beautiful specimen features an aesthetic arc framing the trilobite, emphasizing the trilobite as the centerpiece.   Hollardops lived during the Middle Devonian period (~390 million years ago) in the warm, shallow seas that once covered what is now the Anti-Atlas region of Morocco. They lived on the seafloor in shallow tropical seas, scavenging and feeding on organic material within the sediment. Their well-developed eyes gave them excellent vision for detecting predators and navigating complex reef environments. Most specimens of Hollardops range in size from 3 to 9 cm long. Their thorax usually consisted of 10 articulated segments, allowing for flexibility and enrollment (the ability to roll into a defensive ball). They possess a small to medium, triangular pygidium (tail) that has 5 pairs of pleural spines projecting from it. Like other Phacopids, Hollardops is k