Trilobites had a hidden third eye, new fossils reveal


21 March 2023

Trilobites, a group of extinct marine arthropods, had a hidden third eye — and sometimes even a fourth or fifth, new research suggests.

Paleontologists knew that, like other arthropods such as insects and spiders, these hard-shelled prehistoric sea creatures had a pair of compound eyes, which they used to see during the Paleozoic Era (541 million to 252 million years ago).

But scientists recently discovered a median eye located in the middle of the long-dead creatures’ foreheads — a common characteristic in arthropods today, according to a study published March 8 in the journal Scientific Reports(opens in new tab).

https://www.livescience.com/trilobit...fossils-reveal