Genuine Reedops Trilobite Fossil, Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Own a piece of prehistoric history with this genuine Reedops trilobite specimen from the Devonian Period, dating back roughly 390 to 410 million years.

A close relative to Phacops within the Phacopida order, this ancient marine creature thrived when Morocco was a tropical marine basin on the supercontinent Gondwana. Living on the ancient seabed, these benthic scavengers were rapidly buried alive by sudden, violent underwater mudslides and storms. This rapid seafloor burial sealed out oxygen and scavengers, allowing minerals to replace their hard tissues over millions of years and resulting in an exceptionally well-preserved stone fossil.

The standout distinction of the Reedops genus is its signature smooth, less tuberculated exoskeleton paired with a highly advanced visual system. Like its cousins, Reedops possessed large, sophisticated schizochroal eyes made of pure calcite crystal lenses that corrected underwater light distortion and granted an extensive field of view over the sea floor. These resourceful arthropods were also highly adept at a "defensive roll," tightly curling up tail-first under their head shield to protect their vulnerable undersides. This beautiful fossil provides an incredible, low-clutter showcase of early evolutionary defense and design.

This Reedops specimen shows: 
- Massive, Smooth Glabella: In the top-down view  the large central "forehead" bump is incredibly broad, dominating the head shield. It has a smooth, swirling surface texture.
 - Bulbous Overhang: Looking at the front profile the forehead juts out aggressively forward like a rounded punching glove, which is a classic feature of Reedops.
-  Low, Flattened Eyes: The eyes on this specimen sit much tighter and lower against the side of the cheeks, rather than standing up in tall turrets.
- Specimen weighs 1.27g and measures approx. 1.3 x 1 x 0.8cm, and comes presented in a small magnifier box.