Unrepeatable migration of Ampyx priscus
Era: Paleozoic
Period: Lower Ordovician
Stage: Tremadocian (485.4 - 477.7 Ma)
Location: Beni Zouli , Drâa-Tafilalet Region, Zagora Province , Morocco
Horizon: Ampyx & Euloma
Coordinates: 30°31'02.6"N 5°56'33.8"W
Matrix measurements: 243 x 155 x 16 mm / 9,56"x 6,10" x 0,62"
Largest trilobite size (spines included): 63 mm / 2.48"
Smallest trilobite size (spines included): 46 mm / 1.81"
Weight: 1065 g / 2,348 lb
Description: Unique specimen from the Fezouata Formation. In 2019, scientist Jean Vannier presented research in Scientific Reports in which he published that these unusual online associations are not the result of drag or accumulation by currents, but rather collective behavior. Scientists believe that trilobites migrated in groups along the seafloor when they were buried and that they maintained physical contact either through their long antennae or through pheromones, through chemical communication, like modern-day ants. This specimen is undoubtedly a specimen worthy of study.

Expertly sandblasted fossil. 100% natural, with no repairs, no other trilobite spines, and no paint.

The Fezouata Formation or Fezouata shale contains extraordinary fossils because the animals were quickly buried by storm deposits made of silt and clay, favourable conditions for the preservation of soft tissues (now pyritized or altered due to a mixture of iron oxides and hydroxides, hence their orange-red colour).
The fossils belong to two intervals, Tremadocian and Floian, much less rich in fossils.

This piece will travel insured in a safety package to arrive in perfect condition.