Scientists have identified a huge ancient scorpion from fossils found in the United Kingdom. The animal lived about 415 million years ago in what is now England and Wales. The fossils had been discovered 150 years ago, but experts only recently worked out what they belonged to.
The scorpion was named Praearcturus gigas. Fossil pieces suggest it had pincers about 16 centimetres long. Its body may have been around one metre long.
Researchers said the giant scorpion could have been about the size of a Labrador dog. This would make it the biggest scorpion known in the world. The study was published in the journal Paleontology.
Scientists think Praearcturus lived in wetland areas and hunted both in water and on land. It may have eaten fish and other animals. Experts believe it grew so large because there were few other big predators at the time.
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