Head of giant 300 million year old insect detailed in scientific breakthrough

Oct 10

Jack Aylmer Energy Correspondent

By Jack Aylmer (Energy Correspondent), Mathew Grisham (Digital Producer), Mirlie Larose (Producer), Michael Edwards (Video Editor)

New details are emerging about one of the largest bugs ever to live on planet Earth. This 9-foot-long giant insect with dozens of legs lived over 300 million years ago in the Carboniferous period, and now we know what its head looked like.

Up until now, scientists had no idea what the creature’s noggin resembled, and the new information is helping clear up its impact on its descendants. During the week of Oct. 6, research by scientists in North America and Europe led to a breakthrough. Most of the fossils of the insect were found headless shells, left behind after the creatures molted every time they grew larger.

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Discoveries of these fossils date back to the 1800s, but it took modern technology to figure out the shape of the creature’s head.

Round, with two short antennae and two eyes that stuck outwards like a crab, the hundred-pound insect had a small mouth suited for grinding leaves and tree bark.

These traits led to a confusing mixture of a centipede and a millipede, leading to difficulty deciding what the insect’s head looked like. Now, by using CT scans, researchers were able to clear up the longstanding controversy.

There’s a lot left to learn about this ancient millipede, including what exactly it ate. Questions still stand on whether it walked on land, underwater or were amphibious as well.

Tags: Archaeology, Dinosaur fossils, Europe, Fossils, Research, Science

Jack Aylmer

WE’VE GOT NEW DETAILS TO SHARE ABOUT ONE OF THE LARGEST BUGS TO EVER LIVE.

WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT A NINE-FOOT-LONG INSECT WITH DOZENS OF LEGS FROM 300 MILLION YEARS AGO?

WELL – BECAUSE UNTIL NOW, SCIENTISTS DIDN’T KNOW WHAT ITS HEAD LOOKED LIKE. AND THAT’S HELPING CLEAR UP ITS IMPACT ON ITS DESCENDANTS.

WE LEARNED THIS WEEK THEY’RE FINALLY PIECING THIS MYSTERY TOGETHER.

MOST OF THE FOSSILS FOUND WERE HEADLESS SHELLS–LEFT BEHIND AFTER THE CREATURES MOLTED, SHEDDING THEIR EXOSKELETONS THROUGH THE HEAD OPENING AS THEY GREW LARGER.

DISCOVERIES OF THESE FOSSILS GO BACK TO THE 1800S – BUT IT TOOK MODERN TECHNOLOGY TO FIGURE OUT THE SHAPE OF THE CREATURE’S HEAD.

ROUND, WITH TWO SHORT ANTENNAE AND TWO EYES THAT STUCK OUT LIKE A CRAB, THIS 100-POUND INSECT HAD A SMALL MOUTH SUITED FOR GRINDING LEAVES AND BARK.

THESE TRAITS BUNDLED TOGETHER MADE UP A CONFUSING MIXTURE OF CENTIPEDE- AND MILLIPEDE-LIKE CHARACTERISTICS.

BY USING C-T SCANS RESEARCHERS WERE ABLE TO CLEAR UP THIS LONG-STAND FAMILY-TREE CONTROVERSY.

THERE’S A LOT LEFT TO LEARN ABOUT THIS MIGHTY MILLIPEDE, INCLUDING WHAT IT MIGHT HAVE EATEN AND WHETHER IT WALKED ON LAND, UNDERWATER OR WAS CAPABLE OF BOTH.

I’M JACK ALYMER.

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