This week we’re meeting one of the largest creepy-crawlies to ever roam the Earth - Arthropleura.
Living back around 300 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period, Arthropleura was a giant relative of today’s millipedes and centipedes.
While modern garden bugs stay politely hidden in the grass, this one could grow to over 2.5 metres long. That’s longer than your sofa (probably ) , and not something you'd find under a plant pot!
Its body was made of many armoured segments, giving it a broad, ribbed appearance like a living tank track. Despite its intimidating size, Arthropleura is thought to have been a herbivore or detritivore, feeding on plants and decaying vegetation rather than chasing prey.
So why were creatures getting so enormous back then? One popular idea is that Carboniferous forests had much higher oxygen levels than today, helping arthropods grow to impressive sizes. Dense swampy woodlands, warm climates, and plenty of plant life also created perfect conditions for giant invertebrates.
Most fossils of Arthropleura are fragments of its tough outer armour, but we’ve also found fossilised trackways showing where these giants once wandered across ancient forest floors.
It’s just one of those prehistoric animals that feels made up, but was actually very real. Imagine turning over a log and seeing one of these scury out! That said, it would have to be a pretty big log!
Fun fact: For years, nobody was quite sure what Arthropleura looked like in full, because complete fossils are rare. Some of the first clues came from giant footprints /tracks, rather than the animal itself.
