You are in the french Ardennes, and to the natural reserve of Vireux-Molhain.
The area in front of you under 2 hectares, presents a geological interest of incalculable value. Known as the "Wall Coastguard", the site is exceptional for theabundance of fossil forms found and the diversity of species present.
The rocks that make up the date from about 385 million years ago, at this time, a shallow sea covered the Ardennes. The dead trilobites were covered with sediment, initiating the process of fossilization. It is found in large quantities of trilobites, but there are also reef organisms and cnidarians.
Trilobites (Trilobita) is a fossil marine arthropods class that they lived during the Paleozoic. While most of the Paleozoic era, land was undeveloped animal life, marine life, however it was very diversified contrary, and trilobites flourished there for nearly 300 million years, always keeping the same general Organization.
Morphology of a Trilobite
Observing the trilobite below we can see that the animal has a longitudinal bilateral symmetry. Furthermore we also distinguish three longitudinal lobes: the spine, to the middle part is surrounded by two pleural lobes, right and left. Similarly, it also distinguishes another division into three parts, but transversely, this time: The Cephalon (or head), thorax and pygidium (or tail). By its morphology, the animal so aptly named.
Way of life
Generally, the trilobites were benthic animals, that is to say, they moved on the seabed at a depth ranging from tens of meters to several hundred meters, mainly on the continental shelf. However some species could, according to the study of their external morphology, have a significantly different way of life. And then we will go much further than just watching eyes.
Thus the cephalon of Eoharpes shaped shield allows us to think that it was probably a burrowing animal. Moreover eyes of this species are poorly developed, which reinforces the hypothesis of a live buried in the mud.
The body of Selenopeltis suggests that all its thorns served him both defense against predators but also floatation member to move between two waters, it is perhaps a pelagic animal (swimmer) ... Moreover, it is a kind Selenopeltis large geographic dispersion, which tends to reinforce the assumption that this is a pelagic animal, traveling with the currents ...
Nutrition
The firsts paleontologists studing trilobites they believed that they could not be predators because he don't have lacking jaws and pincers that help catch their prey. But thanks to its high dispersion and the diversity of its habitats and the large number of preserved specimens, were able to observe different feeding habits, among which there would have been:
- Predators and / or scavenger - Currently considered the most extensive primary nutritional groups. Despite the lack of jaws and pincers, these trilobites had jagged formations in their legs. They could use these "teeth" of the legs to catch worms and other small prey, and crush them before ingestion.
- Filtering - There are different species have developed very specific training, like shields or semi alete on both sides of Kefalonia. These groups also have pores and is considered they were used to filter the nutrients of the water particles.
- Suspensivers - Species that eats detritus and algae and less evolutionary changes in a specificaly type of species.
- Planktivorous - Species with big eyes and hydrodynamic body. Both features are useful for finding plankton banks.
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1-. Using the panel, what is the most common species found here? And how many species they found so far?
2-. What distinguishes the Koneprusia other species?
3-. Who made the draws on the panel?