Ever seen a dragonfly and thought, “that’s a big one”? Now imagine one the size of a seagull. Welcome to the Carboniferous Period around 300 million years ago, when Meganeura zipped around the skies.
With a wingspan of up to 70cm, this ancient insect looked like a dragonfly, but much bigger, tougher, and a whole lot more terrifying if you’re not a fan of bugs! These guys were very likely aerial predators, swooping through dense, swampy forests and ferns, grabbing smaller insects mid-flight with spiky legs and massive compound eyes.
I’ve sketched one of these giants perched on a human hand to show scale. Yup, It really was that big!
Despite looking like a modern dragonfly, Meganeura belongs to a now-extinct group called Meganisoptera, or Informally and easier to pronounce, 'griffinflies', so they're actually a distant relative.
So, how do we know anything about these things, and what they would have looked like? Fossil impressions! Found in places like France and the UK, these fossils capture the intricate lacework of their wings, with the large veining that gives it's name Mega- (large) neura (nerves/veins).
Fun fact: Their super size is thought to be due to super-oxygenated air back then — over 30% oxygen in the atmosphere compared to today’s 21%. Bigger lungs ( technically not lungs in this case but a network of tracheae) meant bigger bugs.
Now although I do like dragon flies, I think it's probably for the best that they don't grow like this anymore, especially for people with bug phobia's! I can imagine it now "Stu, there's a Meganeura in the bathroom again, help!"
