| Pulmonoscorpius | |
|---|---|
| |
| A restoration of Calcancora venusta | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Scorpiones |
| Family: | †Centromachidae |
| Genus: | †Pulmonoscorpius Jeram, 1994 |
| Species: | †P. kirktonensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Pulmonoscorpius kirktonensis Jeram, 1994 | |
Pulmonoscorpius kirktonensis meaning "breathing scorpion", was a giant scorpion that could grow up to 70 centimeters (28 inches) that lived in the Visean-Serpukhovian ages of the Mississippian (early Carboniferous). Its fossils were discovered at East Kirkton, West Lothian in Scotland in 1994, and it was named by Andrew J. Jeram.
Etymology[]
Distribution[]
All specimens of this genus have been found in terrestrial and lacustrine sediments of Scotland.
Description[]
Size of a Pulmonoscorpius
Pulminoscorpius was most likely predator like all species of scorpion today. Although we don't know exactly what Pulmonoscorpius ate, it likely would have eaten smaller invertebrates and possibly primitive tetrapods. Pulmonoscorpius would probably have killed using it the venom in its tail this is inferred because it had small pincers and a thick tail which generally means that it killed by poisoning its prey. It hunted by ambushing it's prey and then stinging it's prey until it died, it then would have then sucked all its bodily fluids.
It is also probable that Pulmonoscorpius had good vision (for a scorpion) because of its abnormally large eyes.
Pulmonoscorpius as also an unusual species of scorpion because scorpions generally live in jungles, forests, rain forests, mountains and deserts but not in swamps where Pulmonoscorpius lived.
It is very likely that Pulmonoscorpius grew so large because of an abundance of oxygen in the atmosphere caused by the large amount of trees in the carboniferous.
In the Media[]
Pulmonoscorpius as it appears in Prehistoric Park
Pulmonoscorpius as it appears in ARK: Survival Evolved
- Pulmonoscorpius has appeared in docu-fiction Prehistoric Park from BBC, where Nigel Marvin tries to save, but gets stung by one, and both succeeds and survives. In this series, Pulmonoscorpius is shown living in the Late Pennsylvanian, although in fact it appeared and died out in the Mississippian.
- It also appears in video games like ARK: Survival Evolved (with a vastly exaggerated size).