Dinosaurs & Prehistory - Other prehistoric animals - Arthropleura - Prehistoric life - Arthropods - Carboniferous
How long could the giant Arthropleura probably grow?
Correct!
Arthropleura was a gigantic land-dwelling arthropod that lived approximately 346 to 290 million years ago. With a reconstructed body length of up to around 2.6 meters, it is considered the largest known land-dwelling arthropod in the history of the earth. A particularly large fossil find from England was approximately 55 centimeters wide. From its dimensions, the researchers reconstructed a complete animal up to 2.63 meters long and weighing around 50 kilograms. This made Arthropleura about as long as a small car. For a long time it was not even known for sure what the head of Arthropleura looked like. Only excellently preserved young animals made a detailed reconstruction possible in 2024. A surprising mix emerged: the body had many millipede-like features, while parts of the head also showed characteristics more familiar from centipedes. The researchers classify Arthropleura within the myriapods – the group of millipedes and centipedes. However, we know much less about their diet. Precisely because complete mouthparts of large individuals are missing, Arthropleura should not simply be safely portrayed as herbivores or predators.
According to current reconstructions, Arthropleura could grow up to around 2.6 meters long and is considered the largest known land-living arthropod.
