Giant Ocean Arthropod Rivals Largest in History

Real Clear Science ^ | March 11, 2015 | Ross Pomeroy

[C19fan]

A trio of paleontologists has announced the discovery of a fossil belonging to a new species of ancient arthropod that rivals the largest ever found. They detail their finding in Wednesday's publication of the journal Nature.

Hundreds of millions of years ago, arthropods, which include modern-day spiders, insects, and crustaceans, were much larger, and we're not talking the size of a small dog. An extinct millipede called Arthropleura reached up to 8.5 feet in length, making it the largest land invertebrate ever known to exist. Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, which extended 8.2 feet, dwelled in the water (pictured right).

[C19fan]

The author gets his whales wrong. The giant anthropod was a filter feeder therefore the Blue Whale of the Ordovician.

[WayneS]

I thought Michael Moore was the largest land invertebrate ever known to exist...

[EternalVigilance]

Jaekelopterus rhenaniae

Oh my.

[muir_redwoods]

an 8 foot lobster. sign me up

[GraceG]

If you went back far enough in time earth would certainly look like some sorta star trek alien planet.

[SunkenCiv]

[C19fan]

The Cambrian was a freak show.

[capydick]

If you went back far enough in time earth would certainly look like some sorta star trek alien planet

Yep or - a typical DNC Convention.....

[RatRipper]

I thought Michael Moore was the largest land invertebrate ever known to exist...

That was before Squishy Boner strutted his stuff

[C19fan]

So are the little ones of that species of rabbit the ones I see hung around Texas Roadhouse? :)

[GraceG]

[ Ancient arthropods were able to grow to ginormous sizes for two main reasons. First, oxygen was much more concentrated in the atmosphere 400 to 500 million years ago, making up 30% of Earth’s atmosphere instead of 21% today. Arthropods rely on air flowing through their bodies in order to take in oxygen; they don’t have lungs like us. The extra oxygen basically served as added fuel for growth. Second, and more simply, there weren’t really any larger predators around to cull their numbers. Call it evolutionary luck. ]

Concerning oceans the ocean speciaes arthropods have gill like structures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gill

Crustaceans, molluscs, and some aquatic insects have tufted gills or plate-like structures on the surfaces of their bodies.

[cripplecreek]

The author gets his whales wrong.

They do as much damage to science as climatologists.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

an 8 foot lobster. sign me up

I dunno. I rather prefer crab.

[Marko413]

"Ancient arthropods were able to grow to ginormous sizes for two main reasons. First, oxygen was much more concentrated in the atmosphere 400 to 500 million years ago, making up 30% of Earth's atmosphere instead of 21% today. Arthropods rely on air flowing through their bodies in order to take in oxygen; they don't have lungs like us. The extra oxygen basically served as added fuel for growth. Second, and more simply, there weren't really any larger predators around to cull their numbers."

So what I am hearing then is that the 21% oxygen in our atmosphere is a good thing. Otherwise spiders will grow to enormous sizes.

[C19fan]

Actually yes. That is why you had biggest terrestrial bugs that ever lived were around during the later Carboniferous period.

[Slyfox]

Beware of cloning unknown DNA:

[Flatus I. Maximus]

Third, there were no pots of boiling water, no nutcrackers, and of course, without mammals, there was no clarified butter.

[central_va]

anomalocaris

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Just go to the democrat convention.

[BenLurkin]

Good flick!