45° FOGGY, LONDON
Fossil of 8-foot scorpion found
Last Modified: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 9:00 p.m.
British researchers said Tuesday that they have discovered an 18-inch-long fossilized claw of an ancient sea scorpion that would have been 8 feet long, making it the largest arthropod ever discovered.
"We knew the sea scorpions were among the largest creepy-crawlies ever, but we didn't realize just how big they could get," said paleontologist Simon Braddy of the University of Bristol.
Sea scorpions became extinct about 250 million years ago, but they were precursors of modern land-based scorpions.
Smaller varieties are common in the fossil record, and evidence suggests that they ventured onto land for brief forays.
-- Press Democrat news services
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
Next Article in News-Home
-
Local Guardsmen support plan to send more troops to Afghanistan
After almost a year in Afghanistan, returning Army National Guardsmen on Tuesday agreed that President Obama’s reported plan to send more troops there is a good idea.
“I think it’s great news. I think it’s a wise decision. They’re definitely...
Add a Comment
Only moderator-approved comments are shown on this page. To see all comments, please visit the forum. We at PressDemocrat.com created these forums as a place where our community can exchange ideas on news issues and express their thoughts. Please be courteous and respectful. Avoid expletives, false statements, veiled or overt threats and personal attacks. Stay on topic. (View full Terms of Service.)Post a comment | View all comments on this topic.