Recently, we shared with you that the centipede with the most legs ever was discovered. While the centipede, which has more than 1000 legs, surprised the scientific world, these creatures that lived on our planet more than 400 million years ago left their mark on the scientific world again. This time the largest centipede ever discovered was found. Moreover, it is not very suitable for the adjectives ‘as much as my hand’ and ‘as much as my head’.
The fossil of a creature called Arthropleura, which is estimated to have lived between 345 and 295 million years ago, that is, 100 million years before the dinosaurs, has been found. The fossil, found on a beach in the north of England, also revealed the largest known invertebrate animal of all time. Only a portion of the fossil fragment, which consisted of numerous articulated exoskeleton fragments, was 75 centimeters across. This showed that the creature was about 2.7 meters long and weighed about 50 kilograms.
The fossil was discovered by accident
The discovery of the fossil, whose work had just been completed, was not actually a new discovery. First discovered in a sandstone block in January 2018, the fossil came about by sheer chance, as a result of the rock cracking and opening by falling. A student passing by that area saw the fossil while walking and started working. The fossil, which was removed with special permission in May 2018, was then brought to Cambridge.
In addition to this fossil, only two Arthropleura fossils have been discovered in the world. This fossil was the largest Arthropleura skeleton ever discovered. The structure of living things plays a role behind the discovery of fossils so little. When these creatures die, their bodies usually tend to disintegrate. No fossilized head remains of this creature have yet been found.
Researchers believe that this creature must have a high-nutrient diet to reach such a large size. Although it is not known what living things ate at that time, it is stated that there were plenty of nutritious nuts and seeds as food at that time. Why this species disappeared is still unknown.
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