Paleontology 101: Digging for Trilobites in the Desert!

DIGGING FOR TRILOBITES

What is a Trilobite?

A trilobite is an amazing, hard-shelled, segmented creature that existed over 520 million years ago in the Earth's ancient seas. Trilobites went extinct before dinosaurs roamed the earth and are one of the most well-known creatures of the Paleozoic Era. The Paleozoic Era is the first era to exhibit a proliferation of the complex life forms that established the foundation of life as it is today. If you lived in the Paleozoic Era you would have seen a lot of trilobites! But now you can only see them in their fossil form. Although dinosaurs are the most well-known fossil animals, trilobites are also a favorite among those familiar with Paleontologists, and are found in the rocks of all continents.

Here are some pictures of trilobites:

What is a Paleontologist?

A paleontologist studies the history of life on Earth, mainly through the examination and study of fossils, which are evidences of ancient life. Fossils are most often found in sedimentary rock (rocks formed by the accumulation of sediments).

You don't have to be a professional paleontologist to collect the remains of ancient life. Searching for fossils is like traveling back in time to get a peek at Earth's past. You don't have to be a professional paleontologist to collect the remains of ancient life. Anyone can find fossils! All you need is some basic information, a good location, and a lot of patience.

DIGGING FOR TRILOBITES

When you dig for trilobites, you need to have lots of patience! You also need protective eye goggles and a pick axe and gloves.

Looking at a trilobite!

To find trilobites in sedimentary rock you need to first find the grain of the rock. The grain is almost always on the side of the rock. Once you find the grain you hit it with your pick axe until the rock splits open. Then you look inside to see if you've discovered a trilobite or other fossil!

Sometimes you find trilobites in rocks and sometimes you don't. If you don't find one, keep looking!

Here are the Trilobites I found!