The lobster from hell: Giant ‘sea scorpion’ was one of ocean’s first big predators
They are most closely related to modern horseshoe crabs and terrestrial arachnids such as spiders and scorpions.
One of the earliest big predators to prowl Earth’s primordial waters was a sea scorpion nearly 1.8m long whose body looked a bit like an ancient Greek warship.
Scientists on Tuesday announced the discovery in northeastern Iowa of fossils of a large, active hunter called Pentecopterus decorahensis that lived 467 million years ago during the Ordovician Period.
“Pentecopterus was an incredibly bizarre animal, with a long head that looked somewhat like the prow of a ship, a narrow body and massively enlarged limbs that it used to capture prey,” Yale University paleontologist James Lamsdell said.
“It would have been the largest predator in its environment and would have grabbed prey with its large, spiny legs and then pulled it towards its mouth,” Lamsdell added.
The fossils were exceptionally well preserved, showing fine details of its exoskeleton, and the scientists found remains of adult and juvenile Pentecopterus specimens.
Pentecopterus was named after a type of galley used by the ancient Greeks known as a penteconter, which the creature resembles with its narrow body and long head, Lamsdell said.
“You would not want one of these in your swimming pool," said Yale paleontologist Derek Briggs, another of the researchers.