What is "olenoides"

Olenoides was a trilobite from the Cambrian period. Its fossils are found well-preserved in the Burgess Shale in Canada. It grew up to 10 cm long.

Olenoides followed the basic structure of all trilobites — a cephalon (head shield), a thorax with seven jointed parts, and finally a semicircular pygidium. Its antennae were long, and curved back along its sides. Its thin legs show that it was no swimmer, instead crawling along the sea floor in search of prey. This is also evidenced by fossil tracks that have been found. Conspicuous W-shaped wounds, often partially healed, on Olenoides specimens may be due to predation by Anomalocaris.

Its major characteristics are a large parallel-sided glabella, deep interpleural furrows on the pygidium, and slender pygidial spines, as well as the fact that it is the most common limb-bearing trilobite species in the Burgess Shale.

Specimens have been found in the Marjumian of the United States ( Utah and New York). General Cambrian fossils have been found in Canada ( British Columbia and Newfoundland), Greenland, Kazakhstan, Russia, and the USA ( Idaho, Nevada for which O. nevadensis is named, New York, Pennsylvania for which O. pennsylvanicus is named, Virginia, Utah, and Wyoming).

The Burgess Shale's preservative qualities have helped Olenoides become one of the best known of trilobites.