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Sea Scorpions
| Scientific Classification |
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Sea Scorpions ("Eurypterids") are a group of extinct arthropods that may
possibly predate the earliest fishes.
These animals
are not true scorpions (which are part of the class Arachnida), but
are believed to be related to the Arachnids and Xiphosura (horseshoe crabs)
- indeed, historically, they have often been classified together with
horseshoe crabs as "Merostomata".
The earliest fossils of
Sea Scorpions date from the Ordovician period, about 460 million years
ago, although an earlier trace
fossil ("Protichnites"),
dated to the Cambrian period, about 510 million years ago, is evidence
of a land living predatory arthropod, which may well be an early
Eurypterid.
Sea Scorpions were predators. They evolved in warm shallow seas, but in
later periods they tended to live in freshwater or brackish water, rather
than the sea. The fossils
of Sea Scorpions are found throughout the world, and it is thought
possible that some species may have been amphibious - coming on to land
for part of their lifecycle, and probably capable of breathing in
both water and air.
In life, Sea Scorpions had a semicircular carapace, a jointed section
containing twelve body segments, and a long tail which often tapered
and ended with a spine. The spine on the tail, was in some cases
spiked, but it is unclear whether it could have been venomous.
Sea Scorpions had a pair of compound eyes, and a paid of smaller eyes
("ocelli") between them.
Attached to the carapace were paddles, and these could have been used
for swimming, and possibly digging. Sea Scorpions also had two large
claws at the front ("chelicerae"), and four pairs of jointed legs -
fossil trackways
suggest that some species may have used six-legged (hexapodous) and others
eight-legged (octopodous) gaits.
Most species of Sea Scorpions were quite small, less than 8 inches (20 centimeters)
in length. However there were also some larger types - the genus Jaekelopterus,
seems to have included animals up to about 8 feet (2.5 meters) in length.
Since
1984,
Eurypterus remipes, a species of Sea Scorpion has been the State of Fossil
of New York.
Sea Scorpions were arthropods that lived in the seas between 510 and 248 million years ago
Related Information & Resources
See Also
Eurypterid Books
Here are some books from Amazon.com:
Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by Amazon.com. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products from them after following a link from this website.
By Erik N Kjellesvig-Waering
Nabu Press
Paperback (24 pages)
 | List Price: $14.75*
Lowest New Price: $9.64*
Usually ships in 24 hours*
*(As of 12:15 Pacific 21 May 2012 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description:
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. |
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By Icon Group International
Icon Group International
Digital (11 pages)
 | List Price: $28.95*
Lowest New Price: $28.95*
Available for download now*
*(As of 12:15 Pacific 21 May 2012 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description:
Ever need a fact or quotation on "Eurypterids"? Designed for speechwriters, journalists, writers, researchers, students, professors, teachers, historians, academics, scrapbookers, trivia buffs and word lovers, this is the largest book ever created for this word. It represents a compilation of "single sentences" and/or "short paragraphs" from a variety of sources with a linguistic emphasis on anything relating to the term "Eurypterids," including non-conventional usage and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities. This is not an encyclopedic book, but rather a collage of statements made using the word "Eurypterids," or related words (e.g. inflections, synonyms or antonyms). This title is one of a series of books that considers all major vocabulary words. The entries in each book cover all parts of speech (noun, verb, adverb or adjective usage) as well as use in modern slang, pop culture, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This data dump results in many unexpected examples for "Eurypterids," since the editorial decision to include or exclude terms is purely a computer-generated linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under fair use conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. |
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By Samuel J. Ciurca
self-published
Paperback
 | | - Contains over 50 illustrations with notes - should be of interest to fossil collectors and researchers.
Product Description:
A glimpse at part of a fossil collector's discoveries in his search for 400 million year old sea scorpions (mostly aquatic eurypterids) from New York and Ontario, Canada with added notes. |
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By Charles D. Waterston
Royal Society of Edinburgh
Paperback
| Lowest Used Price: $70.00*
*(As of 12:15 Pacific 21 May 2012 More Info)
Click Here |
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By L. R. Moore
1936)
Paperback
| Lowest Used Price: $28.00*
*(As of 12:15 Pacific 21 May 2012 More Info)
Click Here |
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By Charles D. Waterston
Royal Society of Edinburgh
Hardcover
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By M. Y. Williams
Gov. Printing Bureau
Paperback
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By M. J. Copeland
Royal Ontario Museum
Paperback
| List Price: $12.50*
Lowest Used Price: $141.21*
*(As of 12:15 Pacific 21 May 2012 More Info)
Click Here |
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By Kenneth Edward Caster
Paleontographica Americana
Pamphlet (62 pages)
| Lowest New Price: $15.00*
*(As of 12:15 Pacific 21 May 2012 More Info)
Click Here |
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By L. J. Wills
1964)
Paperback
| Lowest Used Price: $28.00*
*(As of 12:15 Pacific 21 May 2012 More Info)
Click Here |
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