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Travels with Trilobites
Travels with Trilobites: Adventures in the Paleozoic | Andy Secher
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Trilobites were some of the most successful and versatile organisms ever to exist. Among the earliest forms of complex animal life, these hard-shelled marine invertebrates inhabited the primal seas of the Paleozoic Era. Their march through evolutionary time began in the Lower Cambrian, some 521 million years ago, and lasted until their demise at the end of the Permian, more than 250 million years later. During this vast stretch of planetary history, these adaptable animals filled virtually every available undersea niche, evolving into more than 25,000 scientifically recognized species. In Travels with Trilobites, Andy Secher invites readers to come along in search of the fossilized remains of these ancient arthropods. He explores breathtaking paleontological hot spots around the world—including Alnif, Morocco, on the edge of the Sahara Desert; the Sakha Republic, deep in the Siberian wilderness; and Kangaroo Island, off the coast of South Australia—and offers a behind-the-scenes look at museums, fossil shows, and life on the collectors’ circuit. The book features hundreds of photographs of unique specimens drawn from Secher’s private collection, showcasing stunning fossil finds that highlight the diversity, complexity, and beauty of trilobites. Entertaining and informative, Travels with Trilobites combines key scientific information about these captivating creatures with wry, colorful observations and inside stories from one of the world’s most prolific collectors.
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stretchkev
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I was never a dinosaur fossil kid, coming late to geology I got to fall for this little guy => the Trilobite.

Existing for some 270 million years, with 25,000 species, makes this in my book one of the coolest animals to ever roam the sea floor.

Full of spectacular pictures, this recently published this book is a definitive, well written reference to everything Trilobite, I mean everything from origin to what we understand about their color.

Graywacke This is cool. What do we know about their color? 2y
stretchkev @Graywacke with some recentish examples cross-sectional analysis has revealed coloration striations that indicate the mottling, and even some of the exotic coloration with in the fossil record are in fact valid and not just hallmarks of the fossilization process. Obviously, the exoskeleton coloration is altered by the fossilization process but with new techniques and well-preserved examples are shedding light on camouflages, sexual selection, etc 2y
stretchkev Any conclusion about colors and what they mean of course is a contentious topic with tons of debate. Still interesting to see the state of the science.

There are all kinds of things that I learned about Trilobites from this work that can't quite be covered in a Litsy review.
2y
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rockpools And this right here is one of the reasons I love Litsy. Super fascinating randomness! 2y
LiteraryinLawrence Trilobite will always remind me of the show Friends. 😋 2y
Graywacke @stretchkev of course. I‘ll have to hunt down or wait for a longer review from you. I‘m taking home trilobite mottling. Lovely detail to imagine. 2y
stretchkev @Graywacke Plan on getting something up on CR as soon as I find some way to post more of the beautiful 'examples' for general interest. Got to figure out an easy hosting site for multiple pictures at once. 2y
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