Introduction to the Trilobita
Gone, but not forgotten. . .
Among famous groups of extinct organisms, trilobites probably rank second only to the dinosaurs in fame. Their fossils are instantly recognizable and often strikingly beautiful. Prehistoric people probably liked them as much as we do: at Arcy-sur-Cure in France, a 15,000-year- old human settlement was found, and one of the artifacts was a trilobite that had been drilled to be worn as an amulet.
Although the last trilobites went extinct about 245 million years ago, they are one of the best-known and most-studied groups of fossil arthropods. Click on the buttons below to learn more about trilobites.
