Sculpted Stone

This is the trilobite that every collector dreams about! It is a ventrally-prepared Chotecops sp. from the Bundenbach (Hunsruck) slate quarries of Germany. The quarries that produced this roofing slate are now closed - the only way to obtain specimens from this area is through the dispersal of old collections. This specimen was in a collection for over 20 years! The trilobite was prepared ''upside down'', hoping against hope to expose some soft parts on the underside. Although only one in a thousand(?) of these trilobites have traces of soft parts preserved, and this specimen hit the jackpot! The antennae, hypostoma, and two very distinct rows of appendages and gills are exposed - these are VERY EASILY seen in the photos and with the naked eye. There have only been a handful of trilobites ever found in the fossil record with this much detail of the delicate soft parts. Only a select few museums and collectors around the world have a specimen like this to showcase. And this specimen is quite large, not tiny like the Triarthrus! This is simply a textbook example of a trilobite displaying its rarely-seen soft underbelly.

A Certificate of Authenticity from EXTINCTIONS is included with this specimen.