Paleontologists in Britain have found the remains of a giant centipede in Carboniferous sediments in northern England. This was reported by The Independent.
It turned out to be the largest invertebrate known to science in the entire history of life on the planet. In length, the centipede reached about 3 m, and in weight exceeded 50 kg.
According to one of the authors of the work, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, Neil Davis, the fossil was discovered by chance near one of the cliffs on the beach near the village of Howwick in Northumbria.
The find was made back in 2018, but only now it was told about it in the scientific journal Journal of the Geological Society. Scientists said they discovered the fossil by accident, when most of the sandstone broke off the rock. The centipede was “locked” inside and one of the researchers noticed this when he passed by, according to the TV channel “360”.
According to experts, the creature belonged to the genus Artopleurae – the largest invertebrates that lived 100 million years before the dinosaurs. It looked like modern centipedes, made up of multiple articulated links. Supposedly, his diet included plant foods. However, the researchers do not exclude that the Arthropleura species discovered by them, judging by the size, could also be a predator, writes REGNUM.
Paleontologists hope that in the course of further work they will be able to find the imprints of the mouth apparatus of the centipede they discovered and to clarify its position in the ecosystems of that time.
The researchers note that once upon a time in the United Kingdom there was a different climate, tropical, and creatures like the centipede found lived in the forest near the water.
In late October, it was reported that archaeologists had uncovered the mystery of the death of a young man who was killed about 1,300 years ago. Traces of stab wounds can be seen on the skeleton. According to scientists, the man was still alive when he was thrown into the mine and left there to die. He was about 25 years old. According to the researchers, the murder took place between 640 and 680 AD.
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Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
