Press Trust of India
Washington, Sept 1: Researchers have discovered the fossil of a bizarre and previously unknown species of ‘sea scorpion’, which measured over 1.5 metres long, and may have been the Earth’s dominant large predator 460 million years ago. The fossil discovered in Iowa, US, is the oldest known species of eurypterid (sea scorpion) – extinct monster-like predators that swam the seas in ancient times and are related to modern arachnids. Researchers have named the new species Pentecopterus decorahensis after the ‘penteconter’ – an ancient Greek warship that the species resembles in outline and parallels in its predatory behaviour.
“The new species is incredibly bizarre. The shape of the paddle – the leg which it would use to swim – is unique, as is the shape of the head. It’s also big – over a metre and a half long!” said lead author James Lamsdell, from Yale University in US. “Perhaps most surprising is the fantastic way it is preserved – the exoskeleton is compressed on the rock but can be peeled off and studied under a microscope,” he said. “This shows an amazing amount of detail, such as the patterns of small hairs on the legs,” said Lamsdell. The new eurypterid species is represented by more than 150 fossil fragments.
