The discovery in Germany of a giant fossilised claw of a sea scorpion indicates that these monsters lived between 460 and 255 million years ago, and they were considerably taller than the average man.
This find also shows that insects, spiders, crabs and other creepy-crawlies were much bigger in the ancient past than we ever imagined. The sea scorpion (eurypterid) Jaekelopterus Rhenaniae is almost half a metre longer than previous estimations for these arthropods, and the largest known arthropods
There are various theories trying to explain why these giant arthropods evolved. Some believed it was due to higher oxygen levels in the atmosphere, while others say it was due to an ‘arms race’ alongside their prey, the early armoured fish.
Dr. Simon Braddy from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol and co-author of an article about the find says: ‘There is no simple single explanation. It is more likely that some ancient arthropods were big because there was little competition from the vertebrates, as we see today. If the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere suddenly increased, it doesn't mean all the bugs would get bigger.’
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