Trilobite - (try-lobe-ite)
Trilobites are a well-known fossil group of extinct marine arthropods (arthropods are animals who have their skeletons on the outside- like bugs and lobsters). Their name means "three lobes".
Trilobites were some of the first animals to leave easy to see fossils and they lived until about 250 million years ago.
Trilobites had many life styles; some moved over the sea-bed as predators, scavengers or filter feeders and some swam, feeding on plankton. Most life styles expected of modern marine arthropods are seen in trilobites.
The trilobites were among the most successful of all early animals, roaming the oceans for over 270 million years.
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