Olenus gibbosus trilobite 1.jpg
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Olenus gibbosus Trilobite
Outwood Shale of England
Upper Cambrian ( 497 to 485.4 million years ago)
The fossil trilobite measures 3/4" long and is on a matrix measuring 1 1/4" by 1 1/2". Olenus is a genus of Upper Cambrian ptychopariid trilobite. Olenus can be found in the British Isles, India, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Newfoundland, Texas, South Korea, and Australia. Fossils of Olenus are commonly found in dark mudstones, which were deposited on the seafloor in environments with low oxygen levels. The very wide side lobes (or pleurae) are thought to have shielded extended gills, which would have helped the animal absorb the maximum amount of oxygen possible in such an environment. Evidence also suggests that Olenus and its relatives may have developed a symbiotic relationship with sulfate-reducing bacteria, either by feeding on them or by absorbing nutrients directly from them.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: †Trilobita
Order: †Ptychopariida
Family: †Olenidae
Genus: †Olenus
Species: †gibbosus
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