Horseshoe Crab Fossil with Trail
Mesolimulus walchi
Origin: Solnhofen, Germany
Age: 160 million years
Matrix Dimensions: 89 x 45 cm
Modern horseshoe crabs are a classic example of “living fossils” as they exist in a form that has changed little over millions of years. This specimen from Solnhofen looks almost exactly like its living relatives that are around today. This matrix not only contains the fossil of the crab itself, but also a “death trail”, marking points where its hind legs pushed into the sediment before its death.