In what is described as having been the largest "bug" that ever existed, researchers discovered the fossil of a huge millipede-like creature that lived back during the Carboniferous Period roughly 326 mya.
The paper itself calls it "The largest arthropod in Earth history" although in the abstract the researchers seem a bit more circumspect, referring to the discovery as "represent[ing] one of the largest known arthropod fossils and the largest arthropleurid recovered to date." Still it is one huge "bug."
The fossil in question was discovered quite by chance when a large chunk of a sandstone cliff broke off on a beach at Howick Bay in Northumberland, some 40 miles north of Newcastle in northeastern England. It had cracked open to reveal something made up of a number of articulated exoskeleton segments, similar to what we find in modern millipedes.
The rock had cracked open, revealing the fossil where a former doctoral student saw it and notified his old professor.
When finally properly examined the creature was identified as a new species of Arthropleura, which is primarily known about from disarticulated segments found in Germany from over ten million years later.
The specimen is described as having been 2.63 meters (over 8.5') long, 55cm (22") wide, and weighed in at around 50kgs (110 lbs.). That would make it the larger than the previous holder of the title of largest invertebrate of all time -- the ancient sea scorpions (Eurypterids).
I killed a large millipede in my living room two days ago. I don't think I would care to tangle with one that sized. Or at least not with only a can of Raid.
It also had somewhere between 32 and 64 legs, which is nowhere close to that found in millipedes, does fall into the range found among centipedes.
In any case, the researchers believe that the fossil might not have been that of a dead creature but rather that of an exoskeleton that had been shed as it grew.
That means it was even bigger.
The abstract for the paper, The largest arthropod in Earth history: insights from newly discovered Arthropleura remains (Serpukhovian Stainmore Formation, Northumberland, England) can be read below:
A couple of views:
_122308192_ae3873e8-2c9e-4352-afa2-68d4b7751ff1.jpg211220164051-01-giant-millipede-uk-northumbria-scnactivity-122021-exlarge-169.jpg
FHJNFUQWYAUHF8u.jpg
The paper itself calls it "The largest arthropod in Earth history" although in the abstract the researchers seem a bit more circumspect, referring to the discovery as "represent[ing] one of the largest known arthropod fossils and the largest arthropleurid recovered to date." Still it is one huge "bug."
The fossil in question was discovered quite by chance when a large chunk of a sandstone cliff broke off on a beach at Howick Bay in Northumberland, some 40 miles north of Newcastle in northeastern England. It had cracked open to reveal something made up of a number of articulated exoskeleton segments, similar to what we find in modern millipedes.
The rock had cracked open, revealing the fossil where a former doctoral student saw it and notified his old professor.
When finally properly examined the creature was identified as a new species of Arthropleura, which is primarily known about from disarticulated segments found in Germany from over ten million years later.
The specimen is described as having been 2.63 meters (over 8.5') long, 55cm (22") wide, and weighed in at around 50kgs (110 lbs.). That would make it the larger than the previous holder of the title of largest invertebrate of all time -- the ancient sea scorpions (Eurypterids).
I killed a large millipede in my living room two days ago. I don't think I would care to tangle with one that sized. Or at least not with only a can of Raid.
It also had somewhere between 32 and 64 legs, which is nowhere close to that found in millipedes, does fall into the range found among centipedes.
In any case, the researchers believe that the fossil might not have been that of a dead creature but rather that of an exoskeleton that had been shed as it grew.
That means it was even bigger.
The abstract for the paper, The largest arthropod in Earth history: insights from newly discovered Arthropleura remains (Serpukhovian Stainmore Formation, Northumberland, England) can be read below:
Abstract
Arthropleura is a genus of giant myriapods that ranged from the early Carboniferous to Early Permian, with some individuals attaining lengths >2 m. Although most of the known fossils of the genus are disarticulated and occur primarily in late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) strata, we report here partially articulated Arthropleura remains from the early Carboniferous Stainmore Formation (Serpukhovian; Pendleian) in the Northumberland Basin of northern England. This 76 × 36 cm specimen represents part of an exuvium and is notable because only two comparably articulated giant Arthropleura fossils are previously known. It represents one of the largest known arthropod fossils and the largest arthropleurid recovered to date, the earliest (Mississippian) body fossil evidence for gigantism in Arthropleura, and the first instance of a giant arthropleurid body fossil within the same regional sedimentary succession as the large arthropod trackway Diplichnites cuithensis. The remains represent 12–14 anterior Arthropleura tergites in the form of a partially sand-filled dorsal exoskeleton. The original organism is estimated to have been 55 cm in width and up to 2.63 m in length, weighing c. 50 kg. The specimen is preserved partially in three dimensions within fine sandstone and has been moderately deformed by synsedimentary tectonics. Despite imperfect preservation, the specimen corroborates the hypothesis that Arthropleura had a tough, sclerotized exoskeleton. Sedimentological evidence for a lower delta plain depositional environment supports the contention that Arthropleura preferentially occupied open woody habitats, rather than swampy environments, and that it shared such habitats with tetrapods. When viewed in the context of all the other global evidence for Arthropleura, the specimen contributes to a dataset that shows the genus had an equatorially restricted palaeogeographical range, achieved gigantism prior to late Paleozoic peaks in atmospheric oxygen, and was relatively unaffected by climatic events in the late Carboniferous, prior to its extinction in the early Permian.
Arthropleura is a genus of giant myriapods that ranged from the early Carboniferous to Early Permian, with some individuals attaining lengths >2 m. Although most of the known fossils of the genus are disarticulated and occur primarily in late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) strata, we report here partially articulated Arthropleura remains from the early Carboniferous Stainmore Formation (Serpukhovian; Pendleian) in the Northumberland Basin of northern England. This 76 × 36 cm specimen represents part of an exuvium and is notable because only two comparably articulated giant Arthropleura fossils are previously known. It represents one of the largest known arthropod fossils and the largest arthropleurid recovered to date, the earliest (Mississippian) body fossil evidence for gigantism in Arthropleura, and the first instance of a giant arthropleurid body fossil within the same regional sedimentary succession as the large arthropod trackway Diplichnites cuithensis. The remains represent 12–14 anterior Arthropleura tergites in the form of a partially sand-filled dorsal exoskeleton. The original organism is estimated to have been 55 cm in width and up to 2.63 m in length, weighing c. 50 kg. The specimen is preserved partially in three dimensions within fine sandstone and has been moderately deformed by synsedimentary tectonics. Despite imperfect preservation, the specimen corroborates the hypothesis that Arthropleura had a tough, sclerotized exoskeleton. Sedimentological evidence for a lower delta plain depositional environment supports the contention that Arthropleura preferentially occupied open woody habitats, rather than swampy environments, and that it shared such habitats with tetrapods. When viewed in the context of all the other global evidence for Arthropleura, the specimen contributes to a dataset that shows the genus had an equatorially restricted palaeogeographical range, achieved gigantism prior to late Paleozoic peaks in atmospheric oxygen, and was relatively unaffected by climatic events in the late Carboniferous, prior to its extinction in the early Permian.
A couple of views:
_122308192_ae3873e8-2c9e-4352-afa2-68d4b7751ff1.jpg211220164051-01-giant-millipede-uk-northumbria-scnactivity-122021-exlarge-169.jpg
FHJNFUQWYAUHF8u.jpg
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