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Metre-long scorpions with six inch pincers once roamed Britain
- Researchers pinpoint Praearcturus gigas as a distinct early scorpion from Britain, about 415 million years ago.
- Praearcturus gigas reached about one metre in length with pincers over 16 cm long, making it the largest scorpion known.
- The team suggests the giant may have spent part of its life in water, based on fossil features.
- Fossil abundance in rocks of this period hints at a freshwater lifestyle for early scorpions.
- The discovery places Praearcturus at a pivotal moment when land life was just beginning to adapt to terrestrial ecosystems.
- Lead author Dr. Richard J. Howard notes the work reshapes how we view giant arthropods in early Earth.
- The team also compared fossil sizes to other contemporaneous animals to gauge its potential lifestyle.
- The study relied on imaging techniques and materials from multiple collections for a clearer picture.
- The Devonian-era site marks an era before forests dominated Earth’s landscape.
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