ARTICLES
A giant species of Trilobite inhabited Australian waters half a
billion years ago
A fossil of the giant new trilobite species Redlichia rex
Author
1. James D. Holmes is a Palaeontology PhD student at the
University of Adelaide; Cambrian explosion – the sudden appearance about 540 million
years ago of almost all major animal groups on Earth.
2. Diego C. García-Bellido is an Associate Professor at the
University of Adelaide; Trilobites first appeared around 520 million years ago and lasted
for about 270 million years.
3. John Paterson is a Professor of Earth Sciences at the University
of New England.
This article was first published in ‘The Conversation’ on 13th
June, 2019.
We have identified a previously unknown creature up to 30cm
long, armed with spines for crushing and shredding food, that
would have been a giant among its neighbours in the waters off
modern-day South Australia.
The newly described fossil of a trilobite – known as Redlichia Rex
– is detailed in a paper out this week in the ‘Journal of Systematic
Palaeontology’. There is even evidence this monster of the
ancient sea could have been a cannibal, feeding on its own kind.
Trilobites are related to modern-day crustaceans (such as crabs
and lobsters) and insects, and are some of the oldest animals to
appear in the fossil record. Because of their great abundance,
trilobites are considered a model group for understanding the
An illustration of the Cambrian seafloor with the trilobite
Redlichia rex in the foreground.
43
SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 68 NO 3