Eurypterus

Eurypterus remipes · Eurypterus was an extinct "sea scorpion" that lived in the Silurian period, from around 432 to 418 million years ago, and is known from fossils in North America, Europe and northwestern Asia.

It lived about 432 to 418.1 million years ago.

Eurypterus
Photo: Obsidian Soul Background: Dimitris Siskopoulos from Alexandroupolis, Greece, CC BY 2.0
Eurypterus
Photo: Obsidian Soul, CC BY-SA 3.0
Eurypterus
Photo: Obsidian Soul, CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassMerostomata
OrderEurypterida
FamilyEurypteridae
GenusEurypterus
SpeciesEurypterus remipes

Where its fossils were found

New York and nearby states (USA), eastern Canada, Estonia, Norway, Britain, Ukraine and western Russia.

Fun facts

  • Eurypterus fossils make up more than 95% of all known eurypterid specimens, making it by far the best-known sea scorpion.
  • The first Eurypterus fossil was mistaken for a catfish, because its appendages were thought to be barbels coming from the mouth.
  • Eurypterus had a pair of broad paddle-like legs for swimming, but it mostly walked along the bottom and swam only to get quickly from one feeding site to another.
  • Eurypterus hunted small soft-bodied animals like worms, using spiny front legs to kill and hold prey while small pincers tore off bite-sized pieces.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).