What is paraceraurus?

Paraceraurus is a genus of small to medium-sized trilobites that lived during the Middle Ordovician period, around 470 million years ago. They had a flattened, oval-shaped body and a distinctive forked or three-pronged tail at the rear. Paraceraurus can be identified by the large, rounded cephalon (head), which was covered in calcite plates called sclerites.

These trilobites could grow up to 5 cm in length and had well-developed eyes with multiple lenses, indicating good eyesight. They were bottom-dwelling creatures that lived in shallow marine environments, often in sandy or muddy areas. Paraceraurus likely fed on small planktonic organisms and other bottom-dwelling invertebrates.

Fossils of Paraceraurus have been found in North America, Europe, and China. They are important in studying the evolution and biodiversity of trilobites, which were one of the most diverse and successful groups of arthropods in the Paleozoic Era.