Giant Scorpions and Really Big Bugs

[3113]

Not just the stuff of old sci-fi movies it seems! Maybe those films with the giant spiders weren't so far off...

Giant scorpion of the sea discovered

THE discovery of a giant claw from an ancient sea scorpion suggests creepy crawlies such as spiders could have been much larger than previously thought. The prehistoric pincer, found in a quarry in Germany, was 46 centimetres long, which means the creature it came from probably stretched to 2.5 metres. That is almost half a metre longer than previous estimates for this sea beast, making it the largest arthropod that ever lived.

"This is an amazing discovery," said researcher Dr Simon Braddy, of the University of Bristol's department of earth sciences. "We have known for some time that the fossil record yields monster millipedes, super-sized scorpions, colossal cockroaches and jumbo dragonflies, but we never realised until now just how big some of these ancient creepy crawlies were."

The 390-million-year-old claw comes from a species of sea scorpion known as Jaekelopterus rhenaniae that lived between 460 and 255 million years ago. Arthropods, like this ancient monster, are characterised by segmented bodies, jointed limbs and a hard external skeleton, and include insects and crabs. These sea scorpions are thought to be the aquatic "sisters" of scorpions, and possibly all arachnids, including spiders.

The findings were reported online yesterday in a paper published by the Royal Society's Biology Letters, which outlined theories about why giant arthropods evolved. Some scientists believe it was due to higher levels of oxygen in the atmosphere, which reached 35% during the Carboniferous period between 359 and 299 million years ago, compared with 21% today. Others attribute their size to an "arms race" with their prey, such as armoured fish.

Dr Braddy, a co-author on the paper, said there was no simple explanation for the giant beasts. "It is more likely that some ancient arthropods were big because there was little competition from the vertebrates, as we see today," he said. "If the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere suddenly increased, it doesn't mean all the bugs would get bigger."

Enormous arthropods already revealed in the fossil record include millipedes that were two metres long, and dragonflies with wings that spanned 75 centimetres. Dr John Long, head of sciences at Museum Victoria, said this sea scorpion lived at a time of low oxygen, but one explanation for its size could be high levels of dissolved oxygen in the water.

"This was the largest sea creature of its day, it was the whale of the Devonian (period)." He also said that during this time, about 355 to 408 million years ago, fish were "evolving and radiating".

"It means there was a lot of interesting dynamics going on in the ecosystem. We have these giant arthropods at the same time as fish were trying to get a grip on evolution," he said. "It's a very interesting discovery and it also means we have the potential to find other really large arthropods from beds of the same age."

Here's how big that fucker was compared to a man:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44252000/jpg/_44252046_scorpion416pa.jpg​

 

[rgraham666]

I love my big bugs.

Although I'm damned glad they lived three hundred million years ago.

 

[3113]

Although I'm damned glad they lived three hundred million years ago.

I dunno. I could kinda imagine us heading out with spears and nets and bringing home a lobster dinner for the whole tribe

 

[rgraham666]

I dunno. I could kinda imagine us heading out with spears and nets and bringing home a lobster dinner for the whole tribe

You first.

I only go hunting in the refrigerator.

 

[Guest]

I dunno. I could kinda imagine us heading out with spears and nets and bringing home a lobster dinner for the whole tribe

I love lobster.

I'll boil some water and melt some butter.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I love lobster.

I'll boil some water and melt some butter.

A LOT of water! A lot of butter!

I'll bring a treeful of lemons! *slurp*
l

 

[Guest]

A LOT of water! A lot of butter!

I'll bring a treeful of lemons! *slurp*
l

Yummm.

I can already envision licking off your fingers.

I mean my fingers.

*smack*

 

[Trombonus]

Technically scorpions aren't bugs.

Just sayin'

 

[3113]

Technically scorpions aren't bugs.

Well, the "and really big bugs" part is in reference to the other giant creatures mentioned in the article.

 

[SweetMerry]

I love lobster.

I'll boil some water and melt some butter.

Lobster's great, don't get me wrong, but I'm more accustomed to a craw fish boil. They're like little mini lobsters, and they make me giggle. Well, not the craw fish itself, but the eating instructions. Gotta love a food that requires you to pinch tail and suck head. tee hee.

(sorry, slightly off topic there. It's late, I'm tired and I think I just exceeded my juvinile humor quotent.)

 

[TE999]

I think I killed one of them things in my kitchen the other night.

Not quite that big--but close to it.

And the spider it was ridin' was huge!

 

[Le Jacquelope]

I dunno. I could kinda imagine us heading out with spears and nets and bringing home a lobster dinner for the whole tribe

Humans could have dined quite well on creatures during that period.

Fortunately we came along a lot later, after that whole Chicxulub crater incident.

Not sure if giant scorpions of that type would have been edible, though, much less enjoyable...