…and this is a 
Jaekelopterus
Category: Fossils • Science
Posted on: November 21, 2007 2:13 PM, by PZ Myers
If you've been following Lio lately, you know he has a new arthropod friend, rescued from the dinner pot.
Unfortunately, Lio missed the big news.
The fossil record has yielded various gigantic arthropods, in contrast to their diminutive proportions today. The recent discovery of a 46cm long claw (chelicera) of the pterygotid eurypterid ('sea scorpion') Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, from the Early Devonian Willwerath Lagerstätte of Germany, reveals that this form attained a body length of approximately 2.5m--almost half a metre longer than previous estimates of the group, and the largest arthropod ever to have evolved. Gigantism in Late Palaeozoic arthropods is generally attributed to elevated atmospheric oxygen levels, but while this may be applicable to Carboniferous terrestrial taxa, gigantism among aquatic taxa is much more widespread and may be attributed to other extrinsic factors, including environmental resources, predation and competition. A phylogenetic analysis of the pterygotid clade reveals that Jaekelopterus is sister-taxon to the genus Acutiramus, and is among the most derived members of the pterygotids, in contrast to earlier suggestions.
This isn't some casual graspy sort of claw, either—it's a great spiky wicked looking claw, with pointy daggery bits sticking out that make it look like some medieval weapon of terror.
This is a much more Lio-like creature than the dainty little bug in the cartoon. I wouldn't mind having one of these for a pet myself! It's too bad they've all been dead for 390 million years.
Braddy SJ, Poschmann M, Tetlie OE (2007) Giant claw reveals the largest ever arthropod. Biology Letters doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0491.
Life Science
Comments
They call 'em crawfish o'er here in TN.
Posted by: danley | November 21, 2007 2:25 PM
Yay. Pinchy!
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | November 21, 2007 2:26 PM
My favorite part of this post is where the line break is: I came to "46 cm long" and I'm thinking, "oh, that isn't so big what is he talking about" and then the next line drops the bomb: "claw."
Oh. "46 cm long claw." Gulp.
Posted by: fardels bear | November 21, 2007 2:31 PM
Pass me the drawn butter.... and the pole-axe.
Posted by: Graculus | November 21, 2007 2:35 PM
It's a giant sea-scorpion that will rock you! Rock you like a hurricane!
Posted by: Dan | November 21, 2007 2:41 PM
Since the Early Devonian was before the Fall, I'm sure those claws were only used for opening seeds, or perhaps for giving Adam backrubs.
By the way, where are all the "Where's the Science?" concern trolls? Today's posts should be more than enough to sate their inquisitive minds.
Posted by: Brownian, OM | November 21, 2007 2:43 PM
Ineresting point Dan. I suppose these beasties succumbed to the winds of change, as well.
Posted by: Brownian, OM | November 21, 2007 2:45 PM
NPR's reporter this morning described it as an NBA-sized lobster.
Posted by: Linkmeister | November 21, 2007 3:04 PM
Very cool, but I can't help being a bit skeptical. I mean, look at the name--it is practically "jackelope-terus"--if this were April 1, maybe, then the evidence would be a postcard of a crawdad strapped to the top of a station wagon.
Posted by: Anon | November 21, 2007 3:10 PM
A 46 cm long chelicera... that's a bit longer than this Mac keyboard is broad, and that's just a chelicera... :-o
That beast wouldn't fit through the door of this room!
I smell a Jurassic Park ripoff coming.
Posted by: David Marjanović | November 21, 2007 3:24 PM
Perhaps it was a Blackout during one of those Big City Nights.
Posted by: Dan | November 21, 2007 3:25 PM
Off topic, but my way of saying "Happy Thanksgiving" to Pharyngulites:
http://www.redmeat.com/redmeat/2007-11-20/index.html
Posted by: Cameron | November 21, 2007 3:49 PM
This reminds me of these.
Posted by: Hank | November 21, 2007 3:52 PM
"a 46cm long claw (chelicera)"
um shouldn't that actually read either "pedipalp" or "chelaes"? (not that getting near the cheliceres would be very pleasant either)
Posted by: X Wolp. | November 21, 2007 4:13 PM
Where did they get their formula for determining creature size based on claw size alone? I wonder what sort of monster they'd come up with if they found an isolated claw from a fiddler crab: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Fiddler_crab.jpg
Posted by: yud | November 21, 2007 4:14 PM
I feel a Godzilla movie coming on.
Posted by: MikeM | November 21, 2007 4:19 PM
I see we're not yet familiar with Gorton's Law...
Posted by: stogoe | November 21, 2007 5:02 PM
In my favorite Michael Moorcock story, The Dancers At The End Of Time (published at least 30 years ago), similar giant Eurypterids ate several of Captain Mubbers' Lat crew. This new find is only 10/15% longer than the Eurypterids that were already well known back then.
Jaekelopterus rhenaniae is a wonderful find that shows these apex predators were even more diverse than previously known.
The Lat are, of course, known for having the most obscene language in the Universe; Hrunt Mblix Krufroodi being the filthiest phrase in their language. Sadly, it has no meaning in any Human language since, like most obscenities, it refers to body parts involved in reproduction and humans/vertebrates do not have pneumatic bags on their limb joints.
Posted by: Jaycubed | November 21, 2007 5:07 PM
A phylogenetic analysis of the pterygotid clade reveals that Jaekelopterus is sister-taxon to the genus Acutiramus, and is among the most derived members of the pterygotids, in contrast to earlier suggestions.
Ouch! Why not tell us how you really feel! Just call it plagiarism and get it over with!
Posted by: Mooser | November 21, 2007 5:14 PM
Would this belong to the same genus as a blast-ended skrewt?
Posted by: Phaedrus | November 21, 2007 5:21 PM
No, I think it is more closely related to the lobstrosity.
Posted by: fnord prefect | November 21, 2007 5:32 PM
Noah must have had to custom build a cage to contain that critter on the ark. Maybe it got out and ate the unicorns.
Posted by: Bride of Shrek | November 21, 2007 5:51 PM
Did I miss PZ's post about Liö on Nov. 13 and/or Nov. 10
I personally like the Vetrans Day strip.
Posted by: wözy | November 21, 2007 6:00 PM
Well I had already secured a couple of spiny lobsters for my thanksgiving meal before I had heard about this discovery. I shall now relish them all the more, served over a bed of fresh whole wheat angel hair pasta. Accompanied by a nice chilled bottle or two of Pinot Grigio. Ah, yes, pass the butter please. Dessert will be a fresh tropical fruit cocktail served over a mango sorbet. Finalized by freshly brewed Brazilian coffee. A happy holiday feast to all!
Posted by: Fernando Magyar | November 21, 2007 6:10 PM
That relates pretty closely to a question I like to use to make biblical literalists squirm: "So, how did God ensure that the California Golden Trout survived the flood?". Their answers are usually really stupid, such as how God made sure small pockets of fresh water of just the right temperature would exist, thus allowing the species to survive. I'm pretty sure that was their favorite answer.
I heard that lobsters, if they don't get a parasite (pretty much the leading cause of natural death among these animals), can live indefinitely. Of course, those that live long enough get it; I think the practical limit was an incredible 200 years, and they just keep right on growing for their entire lives.
So I can already hear the creationist argument here; these aren't really a new species, they're just scorpions that, because they lived in God's perfect Eden-world, hadn't yet been introduced to parasites; and the oxygen-rich environment of the time enabled these scorpions to keep growing and growing, so technically, these aren't a different species, they just responded differently to the environment of the time.
There's a picture of Eden I never really had before: One infested with scorpions nearly 3 meters long.
"EVE!! RUN LIKE HECK!!" (They wouldn't have sworn; no apple yet.)
I mean, after all, didn't they say that squid aren't really alive? This theory is no stupider than how God ensured California Golden Trout survived. Just watch, some variation of what I'm saying will show up on AIG pretty soon.
Everyone, enjoy your turkey tomorrow. Let's just forget about all these stupid creationists for one day, and be thankful for our family, friends and each other. Sounds good to me.
I won't even watch football.
Posted by: MikeM | November 21, 2007 6:30 PM
The best thing about 8-foot-long scorpions:
It's really hard for them to hide in your hiking boot.
Posted by: milkbone | November 21, 2007 6:43 PM
Lio is walking a lobster. Who does he think he is, André Breton? Is the comic moving away from monster movies to dada?
Posted by: Janine | November 21, 2007 7:19 PM
You wish.
The pedipalps of pterygotid eurypterids look very different, because they are just the first pair of walking legs. They are much smaller than the chelicerae.
Incidentally, if you follow the link, you will see that the claw is just the last segment of the chelicera. Oh man. :-o
Wait a little. The eurypterids are so different from real scorpions that for a long time they were thought to be more closely related to the horseshoe "crabs". (They lack a sting, for example.) And like scorpions and horseshoe crabs and spiders, they are chelicerates, not crustaceans.
Animals that never stop growing usually grow more and more slowly with age. Vertebrates anyway. Do lobsters follow that pattern?
Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | November 21, 2007 7:20 PM
Which proves the point. In the prelapsarian world they would have no need for a sting. This developed later when Adam's sin forced them to become predators.
Don't ask how. Maybe God fashioned them out of the discarded legs of serpents.
Posted by: noncarborundum | November 21, 2007 8:10 PM
This may be the long-sought explanation for the disappearance of the giants recorded in Genesis (6:4: "There were giants in the earth in those days"). Their boots were just the right size for monster scorpions to hide in.
Posted by: noncarborundum | November 21, 2007 8:14 PM
Real scorpions, complete with sting as far as I know, are known from the Silurian onwards...
But of course that doesn't matter. No YEC could tell a Silurian formation from a Miocene one.
Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | November 21, 2007 8:42 PM
Sounds like a creature for Beowulf to take on lol
Posted by: Akshay | November 21, 2007 9:38 PM
From After The Bar Closes:
link
Posted by: Zarquon | November 21, 2007 11:27 PM
I stand corrected, but at least I did not call them "mandibles" like in a few other new transcripts I found, especially some German news sources were rather vague on that topic ( oh woe, when will we finally begin to use more scientific and less colloquial terms?)
Posted by: X Wolp. | November 21, 2007 11:31 PM
Does anyone know what the whole beastie looked like?
Would it be safe to assume that it looked like Pterygotus buffaloensis but with nastier claws?
Posted by: Stanton | November 21, 2007 11:40 PM
"It's too bad they've all been dead for 390 million years."
PZ-- You must not scuba dive. Just the thought of running into these giant arthropods underwater is freaking me out...
Posted by: metricdiver | November 22, 2007 1:08 AM
Thanks Zarquon
That photo gave me the creeps. The chappie does have a nice bum though.
Posted by: Bride of Shrek | November 22, 2007 1:50 AM
Yay Eurypterids! My favorite fossil. I'm trying to figure out a way to get access to the old Bennett Quarry in Buffalo where a lot of the world's museum collection of eurypterids came from.
Some may think cephalopods are pretty, but for sheer beauty nothing can top this baby:
http://www.paleoclones.com/images/fossils/large/580.jpg
Posted by: Craig | November 22, 2007 3:26 AM
The BBC's "Walking with Monsters" has lovely graphic depictions of ancient creepy-crawlies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7niMVm7xxLk&feature=related
Posted by: bernarda | November 22, 2007 3:39 AM
I am with you Mooser, my first thought was of The Dancers too. I also agree that the Lat are a complete hoot. Of course they find mutual Nirvana with Mistress Christia, so it all ends happily.
Posted by: Peter Ashby | November 22, 2007 3:44 AM
One of the participants in the BBC series on evolution, Paul Chambers, explains the ideas behind it to an audience including children.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/dinosaurs-other-extinct-creatures/031205walkingwithmonsters/bbc-walking-with-monsters-life-before-dinosaurs.html
Posted by: bernarda | November 22, 2007 4:25 AM
I also thought of Steven King's mutant giant lobsters.
Posted by: DLC | November 22, 2007 5:17 AM
So did Noah had 2 of these also in his Ark?
Posted by: Danon | November 22, 2007 8:06 AM
Unfortunately, it's really easy for your hiking boots to hide in an 8-foot-long scorpion.
Posted by: andy | November 22, 2007 10:01 AM
Posted by: Stanton | November 22, 2007 10:36 AM
While this guy lived during rhe Devonian period. Eurypterids
died out about 250 mya during the end Permian event.
Posted by: Rich | November 22, 2007 8:06 PM
New Scientist's website had this story under the headline:
"Giant claw points to monster sea scorpion".
I felt totally gypped when I found out it was only a fossil.
Posted by: Ian Gould | November 23, 2007 4:21 AM
Did such a thing have an open or a closed circulatory system?
Posted by: Keith Douglas | November 23, 2007 9:13 PM
One of the Discovery shows about before the dinosaurs had a 3 ft-long scorpion molting sitting on a rock out in the air. I doubt that an arthropod of that size could successfully molt out in the air rather than in water.
Posted by: Jim Thomerson | November 25, 2007 8:55 PM
ok, I admit it. The first thing I thought of when I saw that fossile was "Wow, Dr Who was right!" (particularly when thinking about the Tom Baker series)
Then, of course, came the 1950's "Monster is a shadow on the screen so you can't see that it's only a stuffed toy" set of movies. I know there was at least one that was Mistified wherein the monster was a shadow lobster. From Mars, I think.
Still.. can you imagine the luau you could throw with one of these as.. um... guest of honor?
Posted by: LurchGS | November 26, 2007 3:38 PM