Thursday, March 28

Beastly prehistoric sea scorpion discovered | Digital Trends Spanish


Researchers at the Queensland Museum in Australia have identified the first prehistoric species of sea scorpion from fossil remains that have been investigated for more than 10 years.

According to scientists, this species lived 252 million years ago and was the largest aquatic predator in the region at that time.

queensland museum

“This new animal was a huge monster, probably over a meter long and had lived in freshwater lakes or rivers in the Theodore area,” a Queensland Museum spokesperson told ABC Australia.

The sea scorpion was discovered in 1990 by Nick Freeman, near Theodore, and was transferred to the museum in 2013. Since then it has been the subject of several studies by researchers.

A prehistoric sea scorpion discovered in Australia.
queensland museum

“The Theodore sea scorpion has been precisely dated as an animal that lived 252 million years ago and, after extensive research, this particular fossil turned out to be the last known eurypterid worldwide,” explained researcher Markus Poschmann.

This shows that the animal, known as Woodwardopterus freemanorumexisted just before the end of the Permian extinction event, in which about 96 percent of species, including sea scorpions, disappeared.

“This new fossil helps fill the gap in our knowledge of this group of animals in Australia and around the world,” adds Poschmann.

Lastly, the researchers noted that museum closures due to the coronavirus pandemic helped them re-study this case.

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