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A giant sea scorpion. PHOTO/WION NEWS
Researchers from the American Museum of Natural History, the Australian Museum Research Institute, and the WB Clarke Center for Geology, in Australia, present new evidence of eurypterid pterygotids from the Silurian and Devonian periods of New South Wales in their paper published in the journal Gondwana Research.
This giant sea scorpion belongs to a group of arthropods called eurypterida. They lived around 444 million years ago and disappeared largely due to environmental changes as no evidence of their existence was found until 393 million years ago.
The team was trying to find information about the presence of pterygotids in Australia today.
After studying rock formations in New South Wales, they found evidence that these ancient creatures once lived in the area.
Two new examples of eurypterid pterygotids – one from the Silurian period and another from the Devonian period were also discovered. Specifically, the Silurian period was the period from 419.2 to 358.9 million years ago, and the Devonian period was from 443.8 to 419.2 million years ago.
Most of the fossils found are exoskeletons, and one fossil is Pterygotus. Jaekelopterus, the largest species of sea scorpion, is the only remaining fossil.
Several fossils have been found around the supercontinent Gondwana in the past. The recent discovery is almost identical to what was previously discovered in the area. The researchers say that this means that the scorpion sailed and crossed an ocean that would be better than thousands of kilometers away.
Since these scorpions are so large, they can participate in crossing oceans easily. However, the need to migrate may play a role in their size. These giant scorpions have not existed for millions of years.
Changes in climate and environmental composition seem to have killed them all. However, no scientific evidence is available as to why they disappeared. Scientists hope to find the answer soon.
(wbs)
2024-10-27 16:23:00
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