Trilobites Gallery

Trilobites' fossil record extends back 530 million years to the early part of the Cambrian Period. They are fairly rare in the Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks that crop out in eastern Kansas.

Ogygopsis

Ogygopsis was one of the trilobites that abounded in the seas of the Cambrian Period. This specimen was collected from the world-famous Burgess Shale locality in eastern British Columbia.

Isotelus Iowensis

This trilobite, Isotelus iowensis, is from the Maquekota Shale, Missouri. Isotelus, a relatively large trilobite, was common in late Ordovician seas. Its body parts are easy to see: cephalon (right), thorax of eight segments (middle), and pygidium (left).

Ameura cephalon

The crescent-shaped eyes are clearly visible on this cephalon, or head, of the Pennsylvanian trilobite Ameura. The fossil is from the Wyandotte Limestone of Kansas City, Missouri.

Ameura Pygidia

Trilobite fossils found in Kansas rocks often consist of the pygidia, or tails, of either Ameura or Ditomopyge. This specimen of Ameura was collected from the Pennsylvanian Drum Limestone of Independence, Kansas.