The largest scorpion lived 415M years ago
A fossil of Praearcturus gigas, measuring about one metre in length, has been identified as the largest known scorpion, dating back roughly 415 million years. The specimen, which features 15‑centimetre pincers, is four to five times larger than the biggest modern scorpion species. Researchers say the find shows that scorpions reached giant sizes far earlier than other arthropods such as the giant insects of the Carboniferous period.
- ▪The Praearcturus gigas fossil, long puzzling scientists for over 150 years, measures about one metre and lived around 415 million years ago.
- ▪Its pincers are approximately 15 centimetres long, making it significantly larger than the largest extant scorpion, Gigantometrus swammerdami.
- ▪The study, published on June 2 in the journal Palaeontology, suggests scorpions attained massive sizes well before the Carboniferous giant insects that appeared about 55 million years later.
- ▪The discovery indicates that the evolution of large arthropods began earlier than previously thought, with scorpions leading the trend.
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| Canonical URL | https://www.sciencenews.org/article/largest-scorpion-lived-415-million-years-ago |
| Publication time | Fri, 26 Jun 2026 06:45:54 +0000 |
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News Paleontology The world’s largest scorpion lived 415 million years ago The meter-long scorpion had 15-centimeter-long pincers At roughly a meter long, Praearcturus gigas (illustrated) may have been the largest scorpion to ever exist. Franz Anthony By Sahas Mehra June 24, 2026 at 9:00 am Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print Listen to this article This is a human-written story voiced by AI. Got feedback? Take our survey . (See our AI policy here .) A fossil that has puzzled scientists for over 150 years is possibly the largest scorpion known to exist.
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