CANADA: The ‘fantastically preserved’ fossils of the largest and oldest species of sea scorpion ever found have been unearthed in Iowa.
Dating back 460 million years, the eurypterid species would have measured more than 5ft (1.5 metres) long and had unique ‘paddle-shaped’ legs to help it swim and dig.Its bizarre shape resembles that of the Greek warship penteconter, and the species has been described as ‘Pentecopterus decorahensis’.
Eurypterids were extinct monster-like predators that swam the seas in ancient times and are related to modern arachnids.
Lead author James Lamsdell from Yale University said: ‘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!’
He added: ‘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.
‘This shows an amazing amount of detail, such as the patterns of small hairs on the legs.
‘At times it seems like you are studying the shed skin of a modern animal, an incredibly exciting opportunity for any paleontologist.’
More than 150 fossil fragments of the new eurypterid species were excavated from the upper layer of the Winneshiek Shale in northeastern Iowa.
The location is an 89ft (27-metre thick) sandy shale located within an ancient meteorite impact crater and mostly submerged by the Upper Iowa River.
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