Detailed Silurian Sea Scorpion Pterygotus from Scotland

Description: While Eurypterids (“Sea Scorpions”) are uncommon fossils worldwide, New York state, Scotland, and the Kamenec-Podol’skij Mine of the Ukraine are some of the few places where conditions for preservation have been ideal. They were large arthropod predators during the Silurian and Devonian, reaching a maximum length of 2.3 meters. The Eurypterids are thought to have been the first creatures to conquer land, at least on a temporary basis. It is presumed to have crawled along the seafloor, using its grasping pincers to seize trilobites and other prey. This fine example has the swimming paddles and one of the chelae (grasping appendages) preserved. The specific name refers to the bilobed telson, preserved here. Specimens such as this are no longer available, except from old collections, as they are now protected. The repaired crack does little to detract from this fine large example.