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Specimen of the Week 270: Dalmanites trilobite

By Tannis Davidson, on 16 December 2016

 

LDUCZ-J422 Dalmanites caudatus

LDUCZ-J422 Dalmanites caudatus

O trilobite, o trilobite
You must be Dalmanites
O trilobite, o trilobite,
You must be Dalmanites

Your exoskell’s ovoid in outline
Your frontal lobe is vaulted fine
O trilobite, o trilobite
You must be Dalmanites

Eleven thoracic segments
Pleural furrows deeply impressed
O trilobite, o trilobite
You must be Dalmanites*

This week’s Specimen of the Week is a jolly little chap, ready to bring the Christmas cheer to Grant Museum blog readers everywhere.  An early gift from Santa’s pack, this fossil has recently arrived at the Grant Museum following a transfer from UCL’s Geology teaching collection. Despite being a bit broken and a bit repaired, this trilobite has received a warm welcome from all who have glanced upon his charming petrified remains. Behold this week’s Specimen of the Week… (more…)

Specimen of the Week: Week 162

By Mark Carnall, on 17 November 2014

Scary Monkey

Cthulhu the ammonite lovingly stroked Mary Sue the trilobite on the cephalon with his tentacles.

“I love you Mary Sue.” Exclaimed Cthulhu, expelling a distressed squirt from his hypernome.

“Why won’t our parents let us be together?” Asked Mary Sue, the thousands of lense units unblinking in her holochroal eyes.

” So what if I’m a trilobite and you’re an ammonite? Our love is true. Why can’t we be together?”. She flexed her gnathobases in frustration.

“It’s this senseless war…” Suddenly Cthulhu was cut off by a large shadow descending on the pair…

This is an extract from my (currently seeking a publisher) fanfiction novel Ancient War about an ammonite and a trilobite that, despite their biological differences, find love in the middle of an all out war between their families. It was inspired by my choice of specimen of the week, an innocuous little chap from the bottom of case 9. This week’s specimen of the week is..

(more…)

Specimen of the Week: Week Seventy-Eight

By Emma-Louise Nicholls, on 8 April 2013

Scary MonkeyThe specimen that I have for you this week is extremely cool. You could be easily forgiven for thinking this species started life as an illustration in a book on fossils, from where it puffed itself up to being a 3D creature and jumped right off the page. Not related at all to what you’d think it should be, this week’s Specimen of the Week is… (more…)