Balnibarbi fossil map
Where fossils of Balnibarbi have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 470 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 470 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Trilobites & sea scorpions |
|---|---|
| Lived | 488.9–471.3 million years ago (Stage 10 to Floian) |
| Periods | Cambrian, Ordovician |
| Family | Olenidae |
| Named by | Fortey 1974 |
| Fossil records | 7 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Norway |
| Rock formations | Valhallfonna |
About Balnibarbi
Balnibarbi is an extinct genus of trilobites in the family Olenidae. They are known from fossils excavated in Norway. They lived during the early part of the Arenig stage of the Ordovician Period, a faunal stage that occurred about 479 to 472 million years ago.
The genus is ancestral to, and co-existed sympatrically with, the better-known Cloacaspis.
It was named for the fictional country of Balnibarbi featured in Gulliver's Travels, a place "populated by eccentric natural philosophers."
Species include:
Balnibarbi ceryx
Balnibarbi erugata
Balnibarbi pulvurea
Balnibarbi scimitar
Balnibarbi sombrero
Balnibarbi tholia
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Balnibarbi (trilobite) (revision 1322055919), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q4852421.
