Russian Ordovician Trilobite Asaphus dephinus
With Unusual Morphology

Description: A well-inflated example of an uncommon Asaphid, this is Asaphus delphinus, a trilobite with an unusual fusulinid shape (having pointed anterior and posterior segments). The "Pushme-Pullyou" shape of this trilobite is thought to have been an aid in feeding. They are thought to have scavenged the larger Endoceratid cephalopods, and such a shape would have facilitated access to the interior of the orthocone shell. The white limestone matrix complements the golden Calcite exoskeleton. It has a lifelike pose, as if crawling across its nearly half billion-year-old seafloor matrix. It is accompanied by a central segment of a tiny (5mm) Echinoderm, betrayed by the five-sided shape seen in the last photo.