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Paleontology – Devonian Trilobites
Natures Talk Show Fine Art of Paleontology Ken McKeighen and Ken Boorman will be discussing Devonian Trilobites.
Trilobites were marine arthropods ? invertebrates (without a back bone) related to insects and crustaceans. They thrived in an ocean environment that was similar to those where shrimp or lobster live today. Trilobites were among the first arthropods ? appearing in the fossil record at the beginning of the Cambrian Period (~600 million years ago). Highly mobile, these creatures were among the first to develop a hardened exoskeleton composed of chiton (like your fingernail or the shell of a lobster). As a result, trilobites may be found beautifully preserved as fossils today.
The body of a trilobite is divided into three main parts ? the cephalon or head, the segmented thorax and the pygidium or tail. The cephalon contains the many internal organs. The thorax contains the intestines and gill structures. The pygidium contains the anus. The name trilobite means ?three lobed? in Greek. It refers to the axis that runs from the head to the tail. There is a central axis and a pleural lobe on either side.
http://www.fallsoftheohio.org/DevonianTrilobites.html
Source: zenolive
Paleontology – Devonian Trilobites
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