The immense fossilised claw of a 2.5m-long (8ft) sea scorpion has been described by European researchers.

The 390-million-year-old specimen was found in a Germany quarry, the journal Biology Letters reports.

The creature, which has been named Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, would have paddled in a river or swamp.

The size of the beast suggests that spiders, insects, crabs and similar creatures were much larger in the past than previously thought, the team says.

The claw itself measures 46cm - indicating its owner would have been longer even than the average-sized human.

Overall, it exceeds the record for any other sea scorpion (eurypterid) find by nearly 50cm.



The eurypterids are believed to be the extinct aquatic ancestors of modern land scorpions and possibly all arachnids (the class of animals that also includes spiders).

"The biggest scorpion today is nearly 30cm so that shows you how big this creature was," said Dr Simon Braddy from the University of Bristol, UK.

It was one of Dr Braddy's co-authors, Markus Poschmann, who made the discovery in the quarry near Prum in south-west Germany.

"I was loosening pieces of rock with a hammer and chisel when I suddenly realised there was a dark patch of organic matter on a freshly removed slab," he recalled.

"After some cleaning I could identify this as a small part of a large claw. Although I did not know if it was more complete or not, I decided to try and get it out.

"The pieces had to be cleaned separately, dried, and then glued back together. It was then put into a white plaster jacket to stabilise it."

The species existed during a period in Earth history when oxygen levels in the atmosphere were much higher than today.

The fossil was locked in a siltstone from the Carboniferous Period
And it was those elevated levels, some palaeo-scientists believe, that may have helped drive the super-sized bodies of many of the invertebrates that existed at that time - monster millipedes, huge cockroaches, and jumbo dragonflies.

But Dr Braddy thinks the large scales may have had a lot to do with the absence early on of vertebrate predators. As they came on the scene, these animals would have eaten all the biggest prey specimens.

"The fact that you are big means you are more likely to be seen and to be taken for a tastier morsel," he told BBC News. "Evolution will not select for large size; you want to be small so you can hide away."

The scorpions are thought to have made their first scuttles on to land about 450 million years ago.

While some would have taken up a fully terrestrial existence, others like Jaekelopterus rhenaniae would have maintained an aquatic or semi-aquatic lifestyle.

Now that is way cool

mdiver said:

so they can find a giant scorpion claw but not the inland revenue disks

jami0mckay said:

God can you believe that? What a retard!

I am also willing to bet that the beardy,six fingered, cornish pastie shoe wearing nerdy blokes that found this also would have no idea how to find a clitoris!

mdiver said:

they probably even messed up burning the cds, when they do find them it'll probably turn out to be Simply Reds Greatest Hits on them.

ZombieKitten said:

ZombieKitten said:

is that a new superhero?

jami0mckay said:

you mean you were not fooled by the disguise?

ZombieKitten said:

I wonder if all insects were giant

jami0mckay said:

Dude are you high?

mdiver said:

I wish

would make watching england v croatia easier

jami0mckay said:

but it's true! things used to be really big, like in NZ didn't they have a huge bird? and we had giant flesh eating kangaroos!


(sorry for lame drawing )

ZombieKitten said:

a fork-lift kangaroo

jami0mckay said:

Yeah i know, i think i am gonna have to get wasted either way, BTW news this morning is that he has dropped Robbo for Carson WTF? And Beckham dropped for Wright Phillips

mdiver said:

so Peter Crouch supplied by Wright Phillips, that'll be good then

jami0mckay said:

Some days i really want to punch Mclaren in his ginger face

mdiver said:

IT'S BEARDFACÉ, DAMMIT!

benyamin said:

jami0mckay said:

this one like Erin's, is my favorite

ZombieKitten said:

Erin hasn't got a beard

jami0mckay said:

yes she has, she has that EXACT one!! (yoohoo, Ariel WAKE UP!)

ZombieKitten said:

Erin??? can u clarify this increasingly confusing yet strangely captivating issue???

I wish you could orgnote and it would make their phone ring

jami0mckay said:

I can! and just did!

(but I can't guarantee it will be me on the other end )

ZombieKitten said:

thanks Phil

jami0mckay said:

:rimshot: I am here all week and available for weddings and bah-mitszvah's

mdiver said:

I don't know how London will survive us lot causing chaos

jami0mckay said:

Its gonna be a blast mate