Travels with Trilobites : : Adventures in the Paleozoic / / Andy Secher.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Columbia University Press Complete eBook-Package 2022
• VerfasserIn: Secher, Andy,
• MitwirkendeR: Eldredge, Niles,; Johnson, Kirk,; Norell, Mark,
• Place / Publishing House: New York, NY : : Columbia University Press, , [2022]; ©2022
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource :; 298 images

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.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Dedication -- Contents -- On the Space-Time Road with Trilobites -- Our Planet’s Memory -- The Collector’s Gene -- PREFACE -- INTRODUCTION -- Trilobite Morphology -- The First Trilobites -- The Orders of Trilobites: Order from Chaos -- 1. CAMBRIAN PERIOD: 541–485 MILLION YEARS AGO -- Sakha Republic, Siberia: Roots of a Family Tree -- The Paleozoic Era -- Emu Bay Shale, Australia: Wonders Down Under -- Snowball Earth -- Chengjiang Biota, China: Mountains and Mole Hills -- Cambrian Time Machine -- Latham Shale, California: Trilobite Gold -- Trilobites on Land -- Burgess Shale, British Columbia, Canada: Cradle of Early Life -- The Paradoxides Paradox: The Case for Plate Tectonics -- Jince Formation, Czech Republic: A Bohemian Rhapsody -- Rapid Reports -- Cambrian Trilobite Photo Gallery -- 2. ORDOVICIAN PERIOD: 485–444 MILLION YEARS AGO -- Asery Horizon, Volkhov River, Russia: From Russia with Bugs -- Ventral Trilobite Preservation -- Walcott/Rust Quarry, New York: Where Legends Are Born -- Trilobite Soft-Tissue Preservation -- Fillmore Formation, Utah: America’s Trilobite Paradise -- Trilobite Eggs -- Valongo Formation, Portugal: Land of the Giants -- Rapid Reports -- Ordovician Trilobite Photo Gallery -- 3. SILURIAN PERIOD: 444–419 MILLION YEARS AGO -- Rochester Shale, Middleport, New York: Unlocking Silurian Secrets -- Trilobite Feeding Behavior -- Wren’s Nest, Dudley, England: Crown Jewel of the Trilobite Kingdom -- Sexual Dimorphism in Trilobites -- Anticosti Island, Quebec: A Trilobite Treasure Trove -- Rapid Reports -- Silurian Trilobite Photo Gallery -- 4. DEVONIAN PERIOD: 419–359 MILLION YEARS AGO -- Moroccan Trilobites: Treasures from the Desert -- Trilobite Enrollment -- Trilobite Pathology and Predation -- Trilobites of Bolivia: Sky High in the Andes -- Trilobite Spines -- Haragan Formation, Oklahoma: One Man’s Passion -- Trilobite Molting Behavior -- Silica Shale, Ohio: Trilobites from the Heartland -- Trilobite Eyes -- Rapid Reports -- Devonian Trilobite Photo Gallery -- 5. CARBONIFEROUS/PERMIAN PERIODS: 359–252 MILLION YEARS AGO -- New Mexico and Kazakhstan: The Demise of Trilobites -- Trilobite Multiplicity -- Trilobite Descendants -- Rapid Reports -- Carboniferous Trilobite Photo Gallery -- 6. TRILOBITE THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS -- The Truth About Trilobite Collectors -- Finding a Trilobite -- Fossil Shows Around the World -- Trilobite Restrictions: Rules and Regulations -- Trilobite Values -- Acquiring a Trilobite -- Curating a Trilobite Collection -- Behind the Scenes at the American Museum of Natural History -- Top Trilobite Museums -- Prep Workers: Trilobite Transformers -- Every Trilobite Tells a Story -- Fake Trilobites -- Trilobite Color Patterns -- Trilobites in History -- The Strangest Trilobites -- Time and Trilobites -- Final Thought -- Acknowledgments -- Glossary -- Index