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Hi everyone! I purchased this trilobite mortality plate a few months ago, but I haven't gotten the chance to get an ID yet. All the info I have on it is that it was collected near Tafraoute, Morocco and is from an Ordovician formation. (not sure which one) They are all about an inch and unfortunately most of the heads are not preserved great. I can provide bette r pictures if needed. Thanks!

Hi all! I am relatively new to the forum as well as to collecting but I have put together a small collection of various specimens over the last year. This collection will keep growing and I will continue to post when I get new specimens. I have some more small specimens but for now I am only posting a selection of my collection. Enjoy! -Ben

This is from the Devonian Birdsong shale in Parsons, TN USA. It is a solid spine resting across a Dalmanites retusus tail molt. I can’t think of anything with this slender taper and length other than a rare-for-Tennessee, Dicranurus spine. Is this a correct assumption?

Here are some of the most intact trilobite fragments I've collected from breaking apart shale. Pic 1 is very well preserved though I do wish there could have been more of it. Pic 2 may have some of the best 3-D nature to it, especially where you can see both sides. Pic 3 looks really awesome in my opinion, but what really sells this one for me is what I suspect to be a horseshoe crab in the bottom middle, though additional input is much appreciated. Pic 4 is the first one I found from shale. Pic 5 is the first trilobite I ever found on my first fossil hunting expedition in the summer so it really holds a special place in my heart. It is just one part of a large rock that has a lot of stuff in it from crinoid stems to brachiopods, I could honestly make a whole post just about that one rock. And there are some of my best finds from shale! I only started finding it on my last expedition before it got too cold, but I'm already anxiously waiting for it to get warm again so I can hopefully find more, I still have fingers crossed I'll find a full trilobite!

There are few reasons why I would ever wake up at 5 am and begin a two and a half hour drive out to the middle of nowhere. When I saw that the PSoA was heading out to the Brownwood area, I knew it was an opportunity too good to pass up. Everything I had hunted prior might as well have been buried yesterday when compared to the mind-blowing ages of Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks. It's still crazy to think that those formations were roughly three times the age of the oldest stuff I'd seen before. When I peeled out of the parking garage to begin my drive under the stars, I didn't feel an ounce of fatigue. Instead, every part of me was overflowing with a general eagerness to explore a fantastic new chapter in the story of life on Earth. Not so long after the sun had risen, I finally spotted a glint of morning light reflecting off the end of a caravan of parked cars along the roadside. I abruptly shook off the daydreams of petalodus teeth and crinoid crowns as I got myself parked and arranged my tools. Melvin, the trip organizer, was quick to introduce himself and gave a run down of the day's itinerary along with what we were looking for. I must admit I was a little disappointed when he told me that petalodus, or any sharks for that matter, were not really known from either of our destinations. Nevertheless, there was still some pretty amazing things to find and he was adamant that the excursion would be an enjoyable experience for everyone. The first stop was in the Adams Branch Limestone of the Canyon Group, along a crumbly, slanted roadcut. No matter where I looked, the ground was buried in crinoid stems, bryozoans, and various shell bits. Carefully maneuvering my way around the cactuses, I poked and pried through the rubble at an area Melvin said was productive for smaller specimens. Faintly, I could hear the conversations up the road being carried by the wind. Some of the other folks in the party were repeat customers of the site and were on the search for trace fossils of starfish coming from an elusive layer. My involuntary eavesdropping came back to bite me when I found a strange little fossil that looked just like a leg of a starfish. When I proudly presented it to Melvin and the folks searching for traces, they kindly informed me that it was a piece of crinoid arm . Hash plates from the Pennsylvanian site. The one on the bottom is my favorite. Once I got back to my spot, I decided it was probably best to save show and tell for after I had some time to cool down and really think about my what I picked up. Luckily, the next few finds were pretty easy to identify simply off of my prior research (sporadic googling). First, I found some really pretty hash plates. Each one is like a slice of Paleozoic sea floor with so much detail it's impossible to not lose your train of thought when staring into them. Next, I snagged a handful crinoid plates and spines. When I reached down for what I thought was another plate, I stopped dead in my tracks. Laying before me was a beautiful crinoid crown. Ethelocrinus magister crown. The day continued on with neat little brachiopods, straight-shelled nautiloids, and the usual suspects. We had probably been there for a couple of hours when we got the heads up that we would soon be moving to our next location. There was definitely a little added sense of urgency to my movements from then, but I still made sure to thoroughly inspect every nook and cranny. As my eyes frantically shifted across the ground, I briefly spotted a small object of interest before losing it. With time running out, I tried to retrace where I had looked and thankfully I was met with a familiar image. When I picked up the tiny, black geometric stone, I noticed white pitting all over one of its side. If I hadn't seen something similar online before, I may have tossed it. At the time, I couldn't remember the name, but I had a gut feeling this could very well be the crusher shark/chimera, deltodus. I got to talk with Melvin one last time before we left the area. I was already pretty happy with the crinoid crown, but Melvin's excitement was contagious and made me feel even better. I took the opportunity to also show him the possible shark tooth. He seemed intrigued, but we couldn't come up with an ID for it at the time. Deltodus ~ After a quick break, we conga lined our way 45 minutes north to our next site. A short hike with lakeside scenery later, we arrived to an outcrop of Permian limestone on a private ranch. Melvin explained that this site was known to produce trilobites, unlike our first stop. At that moment, I set myself on finding at least one so I could cross that major trilo milestone in every fossil hunter's career. Permian outcrop From afar, the ground looked pretty similar to before. Upon closer inspection, however, I noticed a wide variety of brachiopod species I helped myself to. A lot of people were discussing the brachiopod, Wellerella which is known for its zig-zagged appearance. One person brought along his golf ball-sized specimen. In the field, the biggest I could find was the size of a pea . Thankfully, the lack of luck with brachiopods was paid back in full when I found my first trilobite!.. and another... and another! The two best pygidium trilos. The left one was curled in and flattened, so it appears to have some of the head still attached. I have no idea on any possible species, so I welcome any input from our resident trilo experts. The sun was reaching its apex and the temperatures rose accordingly. Lots of people called it there and the majority decided to head home after a long day of hunting. I and another family chose to stick it out just for a little longer; we drove all this way after all. Me and Brian, the father of the family, had a nice talk about our lives and the hobby (with our heads locked on the ground of course). I don't know many fossil enthusiasts in my personal life, so it was refreshing to be able to speak face to face with someone who had similar interests. Hopefully, we'll see each other again on the November trip to Brownwood. Here are some pictures of the finds: Pennsylvanian crinoid bits and bobs. The centerpiece is my "starfish arm" . Pennsylvanian Orthoceras?, Deltodus, various bivalves, and Euphemites? gastropod Pennsylvanian Lophophyllidium horn corals, various corals?, various brachiopods. The bigger one (Neospirifer?) I might get cleaned by someone else. It's complete and I don't want to mess it up. Far right Derbyia? Delocrinus inflexus? and Ethelocrinus magister Permian Neochonetes Permian brachiopods. Top right Juresania?, bottom right Wellerella, middle top Composita. Permian crinoid bits and bobs. One of the spines is regenerating. Permian horn corals, and Archeocidaris plates and spines. I like the spiky spines. And lastly an enigmatic Permian find. Some kind of weird brachiopod? Could be weird cephalopod maybe. Has symmetry. Outside looks "woody". Thanks for reading!

I am currently at an auction right now, and I was wondering if anybody can identify this little trilobite? It looks odd to me and I don’t recall seeing one like this before, but I do not know much about trilobites. Any help would be appreciated. If it’s something nice, I might bid on it, it comes with other items as well it’s in the lot.

Would love to know what species I have here. The trilobites are in a fine grained sandstone or siltstone, approx. 1 to 1.5cm. The plant fossil is in flaky but rigid shale, It did break coming out and you can see my snarge repair job with some black glue. The largest fern frond itself is about 6 to 7 cm but similar smaller impressions are all over the piece, inside in different "layers" of the shale and on the reverse side as well. Trilobites found at Swatera Gap roadcut on I-81 in PA, the fern is found in the Glenshaw Glass RR cut off of Rt. 8 in Etna, PA. (just 7 miles north of Pittsburgh)

Hi all, I found a trilobite today while passing a rock shop in Daegu, South Korea, where I live. I've always wanted one, but fossil collecting is virtually unheard of here (at least as far as I know), so when I saw this one, I decided to get it. I was hoping for help identifying this particular species. The man at the rock shop said the specimen was from Mexico, and that it is real, but couldn't say much else (my Korean is terrible, and he didn't speak English). If it turns out to be fake, I won't be hugely disappointed, and would just consider it a pretty model. Here are some pictures. Any help would be much appreciated!