How big were ancient sea scorpions and why?

🌊🦂 Eurypterids, or “sea scorpions,” are an extinct group of chelicerates, arthropods related to horseshoe crabs, scorpions, spiders, mites, and ticks.

They thrived all over the world for more than 200 million years in the Devonian period of the Paleozoic Era, until their disappearance during a mass extinction at the end of the Permian 250 million years ago.

The pterygotid eurypterids reached total lengths of more than 2.5 meters (8 ft) and sometimes are called the largest arthropods ever to exist.

Sea scorpions were also the only eurypterids that were able to swim across open oceans.

Scientists suggest several explanations why sea scorpions grew to be so big:
📌 the atmosphere with a higher concentration of oxygen (35%, compared to 21% today) accounts for the gigantism during the Devonian period
📌 the necessity to pierce the ever-evolving armor of their fish prey
📌 the lower gravity found underwater

Subscribe- t.me/askmenow