AN EXCEPTIONAL FOSSIL SEA SCORPION . ...

Description

AN EXCEPTIONAL FOSSIL SEA SCORPION
Eurypterus remipes
Upper Silurian - 410 million years old
Fiddler's Green Formation, Herkimer County, New York
Eurypterids were the dominant predators and scavengers of the Earth's oceans during the Silurian period. They certainly preyed on trilobites forcing them to evolve into the many incredible and diverse shapes that existed during this time by developing numerous exotic and bizarre defense mechanisms against these "mega-predators". Eurypterids are extremely rare in the fossil record and can be found in only a few locations in America, and several more in the whole world. But by far, the best-preserved and most aesthetic specimens come from the New York quarries in Herkimer County. Over a ton of rock must be split at the quarry to find just one specimen! This example is exceptionally large for the species and is in the top 1% of all specimens known. Perfect from its head to the serrated and spiked stinger on its tail, and exhibiting an unusually dark carbonized preservation, this specimen is at the very highest levels of perfection. There is no restoration. Measures 9 inches long by 6 1/4 inches across the swimming paddles on a matrix of 12 x 10 inches.

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