Trace fossils are fossils that preserve animal tracks or evidence of animal behaviors from the past. These trace fossils record trilobite behavior in the Cambrian of the Paleozoic. There are three main types of trilobite trace fossils: rusophycus, cruziana, and diplichnites. Rusophycus fossils usually contain partial to complete imprints of trilobite bodies. Cruziana fossils contain parallel leg grooves and furrows created by trilobites plowing through sand or silt. Diplichnites fossils contain parallel leg marks from trilobites crawling over the surface of sand or silt. The trace fossil here would be characterized as cruziana.
Photographer: Dale Nations
Photo Date: circa 1990
