Morgan BellAncient scorpion was the size of a small car
November 28th 2007 18:59
The claw was big enough for the scientists to surmise that the scorpion was probably 8 feet long and as thick as a small car. That's a big bug.
From the Discovery web site:
""We have known for some time that the fossil record yields monster millipedes, super-sized scorpions, colossal cockroaches, and jumbo dragonflies. But we never realized until now just how big some of these ancient creepy-crawlies were," he said."
This makes it the biggest bug ever found and supports the theory that insects were much bigger in the Land Before Time. Those were the days for the insects, which had less competition from vertebrates, and ruled the earth with a disgusting claw.
It's hypothesized that the insects grew big as a sort of arms race against each other and the quickly developing fish. Think of it as trying to make a better Sumo wrestler, but one with the hardened armour of a tank.
They suspect that the insects grew so big because they didn't have natural predators, until fish evolved with big, sharp teeth.
My question: how big and mean is a fish to take on a scorpion the size of a car?
Second question: some of the scorpions were sea scorpions, which means they look like lobsters. Would that not be the most delicious prehistoric buffet you could imagine?
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