Bizzare Cybele Trilobite from Norway

Description: This is an example of a member of the Order Phacopida, Family Encrinuridae with many fine details present. It is known as Cybele bellatula, and could rightly bear the appellation of Riccardo Levi-Setti as “butterfly of the sea”. It is also known from similarly-aged deposits in Sweden as well as older deposits of Russia. The pleural spines may have served as snowshoes to keep the trilobite near the surface of the seafloor, perhaps with its periscope eye stalks exposed to allow it to search for predator and prey alike. The rich ebony color is a stark contrast to the café au lait coloration for those from Russia which are far more often seen. Interestingly enough, all the trilobites from this region display this same rich color, making for a dramatic display.