Scientists have revealed the most anatomically complete specimens of Cambrian trilobites ever found in stunning 3D images.
The researchers unearthed two species of trilobites at the site — Protolenus sp. and Gigoutella mauretanica, dating back to 509 million years ago. These models captured"the finest details including the outer surface of the animals, each segment of their bodies, their legs, and even the hair-like structures along their appendages," Abderrazzak El Albani, a sedimentologist at the University of Poitiers lead author of the study, told Live Science in an email.
The trilobites were kept in such good condition for half a billion years thanks to volcanic ash from an ancient eruption that buried the creatures in a way similar to how Pompeii was preserved after the A.D. 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius.