Scorpions are venomous reptiles. They've one of the most ferocious beasts here on earth for millennia, with their 8 legs, a brace of anguish forceps, and a tail that culminates in a stinger. History, astronomy, Greek myths, games consoles, and corporate logos all contain them
Nevertheless, in a recent finding, there was another identical seen haunting the coastlines surrounding China known as a "sea scorpion" where their representation is horrific.
Terropterus xiushanensis is the scientific name for these recently found sea scorpions, which aren't scorpions at all. They lived approximately 435 million years ago.
These sea scorpions were recovered in China's Xiushan Formation and were assessed to be about a meter (3.3 feet) long.
The Giant Sea Scorpion in China
The enormous arthropods were over a meters in length, with one new fossil carrying some hefty powerful jaws and claws to snare marine food.
If you shine a blacklight into the desert, you could notice small alien beings shining as if they're nuclear. They are tarantulas, not extraterrestrial or radioactive freaks.
For as long as humans have existed, these magnificent predatory arachnids have intrigued and troubled us.
They're old, and their structure is such an efficient killing mechanism that many other creatures would develop to a comparable manner over time.
Such specie has just been encountered in China's Xiushan Formation. Paleontologists refer to it as a "sea scorpion," and its remnants reveal a real ancient marine beast.
Terropterus xiushanensis was a massive arthropod that lived in the waters off China's reef approximately 435 million years ago. While our contemporary, tiny scorpions are enough to frighten us, these marine carnivores would have been over three feet long in life, bigger than what we usually see.
"Eurypterids, or sea scorpions, are an influential source of mid-Paleozoic chelicerate arthropods whose growth and paleoecological importance have also gotten a considerable publicity in previous years," explains Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Professor Bo Wang.
Wang is the discovering project's lead and designer, and has a soft spot for these amazing fossil "sea scorpions."
"Their second, and especially third, set of prosomal arms are larger and extremely spiky." "These body parts were probably utilized for hunting, and comparisons may also be established with the 'catching basket' produced by the spiny bony protrusions of lash scorpions among the arachnids," Wang continued.
Also read: Living Fossil: Alligator Gar Existing 100 Million Years Ago Captured by Kansas Fisherman
'Sea Scorpion' Four Mixopterus Specimens
"Unfortunately, our insights of such strange creatures are restricted to four varieties in two genotypes reported 80 years ago: Mixopterus kiaeri from Norway, Mixopterus multispinosus from New York, Mixopterus simonsoni from Estonia, and Lanarkopterus dolichoschelus from Scotland," Wang writes.
With uniqueness, the newfound ancient discovery is spectacular.
"One of the most unusual eurypterid genera is Mixopteridae, which relatives are extremely big and apparently scorpion-like eurypterids with technologically advanced frontal limbs," Wang adds of the cousins of the unique species.
The Euryptid species is the biggest arthropod genus in humankind. Whereas the newest Terropterus xiushanensis was 3-feet-long, its relative, Jaekelopterus, was a whopping 8-feet-long (2.5 meters).
Sea scorpions have been around for 200 million years and come in a range of forms and lengths. They also evolved a variety of modifications over time, ranging from destroying claws to pulverized tails for swimming. And some of them adjusted by growing so enormous that they still retain the distinction for the world's biggest arthropods.
Also read: The Age of Snakes: Cold-Blooded Reptiles Thrived After Dinosaur Extinction