Researchers in China have discovered the fossil of a scorpion, a little bigger than the ones you're used to seeing.
Originally published in Science Bulletin, the imprint of the scorpion was found on a rock deep in the South China Sea. The researchers were able to learn that the scorpion was male and had a pretty sweet moustache that was most likely used to attract a mate (as they are so often used).
This species of sea scorpions were called Eurypterids (from the larger Mixopteridae family), and they roamed the Earth over 400 million years ago. This particular one measured nearly 1 meter in length! While you might think that is as big a scorpion as you would ever like to see, some could actually grow to be the same size as a human!
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"Sea scorpions are known as Mixopteridae and have a large exoskeleton, four strong legs and a bent spine."The researchers said in their study. "These discoveries represent the first Mixopterids from Gondwana (a prehistoric supercontinent) and the oldest known Mixopterid".
If you're looking for more species discoveries, check out this website called Lost & Found. It has an ever-growing list of animals we once thought were gone forever, only to be re-discovered years, decades, and even millennia later! So, while we might think this dog-sized scorpion is long gone, who knows. Maybe one day you'll be swimming in the South China Sea, and you'll feel a pinch on your foot.
Featured image: Mike Mize via pexels.com
