Giant scorpions measuring up to one metre in length and equipped with pincers over 16cm long once roamed what is now England and Wales, according to a new study. The creature, named Praearcturus gigas, lived around 415 million years ago during the Early Devonian period, when life on land was still in its infancy.
Researchers from the Natural History Museum and the University of Manchester analysed fossils that had been housed in museum collections for more than 150 years. Using modern analytical techniques and comparisons with newly described fossil species, they confirmed that Praearcturus was a distinct species of scorpion, not a giant crustacean as originally thought when first described in 1871.
Dr Richard J. Howard, Curator of Fossil Arthropods at the Natural History Museum and lead author of the study, said: 'Confirming that this animal is a scorpion fundamentally changes our understanding of how and when these creatures evolved to such extraordinary sizes.' Unlike later giant arthropods that benefited from high oxygen levels in forests, Praearcturus likely grew so large due to a lack of competition from other large predators.
Evidence from the fossils suggests the giant scorpion may have spent part of its life in water. Some specimens show flap-like structures on the abdomen similar to those found in modern crustaceans such as lobsters, indicating it could move between aquatic and terrestrial environments. The findings were published in the journal Palaeontology.
