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This is an extremely large spiny US trilobite. It is a huge Olenoides nevadensis from the ''Elrathia Beds'' of Millard County, Utah. This trilobite was found in 1996 and just now microscopically prepared in the EXTINCTIONS Prep Lab here in Colorado. This trilobite was split out in two pieces, with the occipital and axial spines still in the counterpart. The top rock was then secured together with the bottom rock that contained the trilobite, making the trilobite essentially whole again, but still encased in rock. The bug was then microscopically extracted down through the entire top rock to expose the trilobite, spines and all! These long back spines project far above the body of the trilobite, and ALL of these spines were even prepared free-standing! Only a handful of this type of trilobite has ever been found this large, and this is one of a select few ever prepared with the axial spines free-standing - only an elite few preparators in the world could do this delicate work. And the fact that the bug is almost four inches long makes this piece that much more incredible. This is a beautifully prepared example of a large Olenoides nevadensis that is about as impressive as it could possibly be.