If you have most than a passing interest in trilobites, you’ve certainly heard of Richard Fortey.  He’s one of the foremost researchers of trilobites in the world.  He fell in love with trilobites at age 14.  He’s appeared in a bunch of BBC nature programs in recent years and written numerous books on paleontology, including one of my favorites “Trilobite!: Eyewitness to Evolution” in 2000.  He appeared on episode 18 of Palaeocast.  If you like podcasts and trilobites, check it out… it’s a very informative episode!

Trilobites are one of the most instantly recognisable groups of fossils. They were present from the very start of the Paleozoic and went on the fill a great number of ecological roles before going extinct at the Permo-Triassic mass extinction event 252 million years ago. They ranged from the very small to the very large, from the most basic appearance to the most elaborately ornamented.

We were lucky enough to get the opportunity to speak to Prof. Richard Fortey of the Natural History Museum, London, all about trilobite morphology and ecology.