World Report: December 7, 2007 Vol. 13 Iss. 12
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
- Cover Story - Spanish Version
- Mini-Lesson
- Comprehension Quiz
- Teacher's Guide and Worksheets
A Real-Life Sea Monster
Imagine a scorpion that's longer than basketball player Shaquille O'Neal is tall. Sound like the star of a monster movie? Guess again.
Last month, scientists in England announced the discovery of an 18-inch fossilized claw of what they believe was an eight-foot-long ancient sea scorpion.
Paleontologist Markus Poschmann discovered a piece of the giant scorpion claw a few years ago while digging through rocks in a quarry near Prum, Germany. The supersized scorpion lived 390 million years ago and is the largest of its kind ever found.
"This is an amazing discovery," says Simon Braddy, a team scientist from England's University of Bristol. "We never realized how big some of these ancient creepy-crawlies were." Researchers say the sea scorpions were dominant for millions of years before they were wiped out by large fish.
